In A Far Away Land
by EvilRegal94
Summary: A young girl from our world accidentally falls through a portal and finds herself in pre-curse Enchanted Forest, where she meets fairytale characters she thought to be just in stories. Will she be able to find a way home before the curse strikes or will she be stuck there?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second fanfic. It was inspired by the book **_**The Land of Stories **_**by Chris Colfer.**

_The year is 2013-Small town in New Jersey_

Chapter 1: Trouble

Allison, a short, thin girl with long brown hair, was sitting in history class, the last class before school let out. She was counting down the minutes until the bell rang. She was going to meet her boyfriend after school; that was the only thing getting her through the day. School really wasn't her thing. She was always getting in trouble by the teachers, sometimes the other students played mean jokes on her. She didn't have many friends either; they were more like acquaintances.

The bell had finally rung and she couldn't get out of there faster. On the way to her locker, she ran into Colleen and her 2 clones-Charlotte and Christina.

"Where are you off to in such a rush?" Colleen asked twirling a piece of her blonde hair between her fingers. She knew Allison didn't have many friends and loved to pick on her.

Allison grunted. "Get out of my way, Colleen." She really didn't feel like dealing with this girl right now.

"Are you going to meet Kyle?" Charlotte asked, already knowing the answer.

"It's none of your business where I'm going so tell your little posy to get out of my way, Colleen." She said angrily as she gritted her teeth.

Colleen stepped closer to Allison's face. "Or what?"

Allison wasn't backing down. "I'll move them myself."

Christina knocked the books out of Allison's hands causing a bunch of papers to fall out. "Oops."

"Nice one Chrissy." Colleen said with in an approving tone.

"Have fun picking up those papers." Charlotte said with a fake smile on her face.

Allison was pissed. Normally, she would ignore them but this was the last straw. When they started to walk away, she ran up behind them and pulled Colleen's hair hard, making her fall backwards.

"What the hell are you doing, you freak!" Charlotte screamed.

Allison ignored her and jumped on top of Colleen and began punching her. By the time Christina came back with a teacher, a huge crowd had gathered to watch the fight. Colleen's screams could be heard all the down the hall. Allison was quickly pulled off of Colleen and was restrained by Mr. Maz.

00000

She was waiting outside the principal's office to be called in. The door opened and the principal called her name.

"Have a seat, Miss Decker." The Principal, Ms. Craig, said motioning towards one of the seats in front of her desk.

Allison complied and Ms. Craig began speaking once she was settled in her seat. "I just got off the phone with Sister Rita of the orphanage. I informed her of the trouble you have caused this afternoon and it has also come to my attention that you are failing algebra."

"In my defense, it was much easier when they left out the alphabet…" Allison replied. Ms. Craig was not pleased. "And Colleen had it coming." She added.

"We do not tolerate fighting at this school, Miss Decker. You are 14 years old and need to start acting like it." The principal scolded. "I'm afraid I am going to have to suspend you for two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" Allison stood in protest.

Ms. Craig folded her hands in front of her. "I could easily change that to an expulsion if you'd like."

Allison sat back in her seat. "Two weeks is just fine."

Ms. Craig nodded. "Good. This also means you can't play softball until the suspension is over and you have brought your math grade up."

"No, please! I need to play. It's like the only thing I have. Please let me play." She begged.

"I'm sorry but those are the rules." Ms. Craig said shaking her head. "And you also have detention right now."

"Seriously!?" She complained. Ms. Craig shot her a warning look.

Allison sighed. "I'm going, I'm going."

00000

She sat in detention for another hour after her meeting with the principal. She was hoping Kyle wasn't too upset with her. _Surely he would understand…_

When she finally was released from the prison she called school, she went to meet Kyle by the trains tracks.

"There you are! I've been waiting forever." Kyle exclaimed when he saw her approaching.

She put her hands up in defense. "I know. I'm sorry. I got in trouble at school. The principal gave me detention, along with a two week suspension."

"Jeez Al, what did you do?" He asked putting his hands in his pockets.

She sighed. "I got in a fight with Colleen, like literally."

"I knew you two had your differences but I didn't think you'd actually fight her." He said in disbelief.

Allison shrugged her shoulders. "That fight was long overdue. She's been tormenting me and making my life a living hell since the 1st grade, you know that."

"Did you hurt her? Is she okay?" He asked concerned about Colleen.

Allison furrowed her eyebrows. "Why do you care if she's okay?"

Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, you see, I've been meaning to talk to you about this…"

Allison crossed her arms. "Talk to me about what?"

"I've been…kinda seeing Colleen…for a while now." He admitted.

She glared at him. "What do you mean you've been 'kinda' seeing her?" She asked him in a low, menacing voice. "And behind my back?!"

He put his head down ashamed. "Yea, sorry about that."

Allison pushed him hard making him fall to the ground. "No! You're not sorry. You don't care about me. You never did."

"It's not like that, Al." he said still sitting on the ground.

"It's _exactly_ like that!" She shouted. "You just dated me until something better came along."

"You said it, not me." Kyle said as he got to his feet.

"Go to hell." She yelled. "I bet Colleen was only interested in you because you were dating me. She probably doesn't even like you."

"No. She likes me." He replied sure of himself.

"Whatever." She picked up her backpack and walked home, the orphanage.

00000

"Allison Rose Decker! Where have you been?" The head nun, Sister Rita, yelled when she saw Ally heading up the stairs.

"I don't want to talk about this right now." She replied. She just wanted to go to her room, even though she shared it with 5 other girls, she just didn't want to be bothered.

"Allison Rose, my office, now!" Sister Rita demanded.

Ally couldn't disobey her so she complied and followed Sister Rita to her office and took a seat. The second time she was in trouble today. It just wasn't her day at all.

"Why can't you behave for once, Allison?" Sister Rita asked sounding annoyed.

"I can explain." Ally said quickly.

Sister Rita put her hand up to stop Ally from talking. "Save it, child. I am sick of your excuses."

Ally tried again. "But..."

"Stop talking!" Sister Rita said sharply. "Your behavior has gone on long enough. And since you went and got yourself suspended for two weeks, you will be spending those days with me and we will continue your schooling."

Ally rolled her eyes. "Whatever." There was no use fighting with this stubborn nun, she would only lose. It didn't mean that she would obey; it just meant she wasn't going to fight her on it. "You are not allowed out for the next two weeks as well."

"It's not like I have anything to do now that I can't play softball or hang out with Kyle." She mumbled. Sister Rita than excused her and she ran up to her room. She couldn't wait to get under her covers and cry herself to sleep, something she did almost every night for one reason or another. She was used to it by now; pretty much the only constant thing in her life was crying herself to sleep at night.

00000

Ally was lying in her bad facing the window when she heard someone call her name. "What's up Sean?" She asked not turning around.

"I brought you dinner. Sister Rita said you have to eat." He replied setting the tray on her night stand.

Ally sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Thanks, I was starving but didn't want to face her."

He crawled up on her bed and she brought the tray in front of her and began eating. "So what's wrong?"

Sean was the only person Ally really talked to in the orphanage even though he was a few years younger than her. He was also an outcast, so they were buddies. Ally sighed and told him everything that happened earlier that day.

"I wish I'd seen this fight!" He exclaimed.

She giggled. "You should've heard her scream."

He smiled before saying, "That really sucks that you can't play softball. It's your favorite thing to do."

"Yea, tell me about it."

"Why don't you draw?" Sean suggested. "That used to take your mind off of things."

"I haven't done that in years." She said. "I hope I remember how."

"You will. It's like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget." He said smiling.

She smiled back and ruffled his hair. "Thanks Sean. You always know how to cheer me up!"

"It's what friend do." He replied before leaving.

She got out her sketchbook from under her bed and opened up to a clean page. She stared at it waiting for something to come to mind, but nothing came. She had no inspiration to draw. She got fed up and decided to read until it was lights out. She fell asleep with the book lying on her chest.

00000

Her alarm woke her up and she got dressed for school, putting her stockings, plaid skirt and white polo shirt on and then remembered she was suspended. She didn't feel like getting changed so she stayed in her uniform. She wasn't going to stay in all day even if Sister Rita told her she had to. She'd be back for her lesson at 2pm of course.

She decided she would sneak out and go on a hike through the woods, following the path that led to a beautiful river that she would like to sketch. She packed her sketch book, some snacks and a couple of juice boxes in her backpack along with a few other things she thought she would need. She threw her school sweater in there, just in case it got chilly.

She thought about running away but she didn't have anywhere to go. She tried to get her mind off of the problems that seemed to be consuming her life. She took in the beautiful scenery around her that seemed to take her further and further into the woods, straying from the path. She realized it was getting dark and decided to head back but everything looked similar to her. She couldn't tell which way was home. She tried to get directions from her phone but she didn't have any service. She put her sweater on for it was getting cold. As she walked further, nothing seemed familiar to her.

"Why do these things always happen to me?!" She complained. "Wait…" She pulled out her phone again and checked the time. "It's only 12:30pm, it shouldn't be dark."

She suddenly saw a flash of lightening and heard a loud rumble of thunder. "There would be a storm when I'm lost in the woods with no umbrella."

She started running, not knowing if it was the right direction. It started raining; no pouring was more like it. She saw a cave just up ahead and ran to take cover.

She looked around. "I hope I won't be spending the night in this disgusting cave, although no one will miss me if I do."

She put her backpack on the floor and sat beside it, resting her back against the back of the cave. She was watching the rain fall when she heard something from the back of the cave. It didn't sound menacing, almost inviting. She picked up her bag and went further into the cave. The noises were getting louder. They sounded like birds chirping.

She saw something on the wall in the back of the cave. "What is that?" She walked closer to it, its features becoming clearer. "Why is there a random mirror on the wall?"

The noises were the loudest when she reached the mirror. "It almost sounds like the noise is coming from the mirror…but that's ridiculous." A forest quickly appeared in the mirror. Allison looked behind her then back at the mirror. "How is that even possible?"

She reached her hand out to touch the mirror, sending ripples throughout it. "It has to be like an illusion or something." She told herself to remain calm. She backed away from the mirror slowly. "Okay, this is too weird…"

She heard a low growl behind her. She jumped at the sound and saw a bear only a few feet away from her showing his teeth.

"Oh no." She whispered. She was terrified.

The bear roared loudly, scaring Allison making her fall backwards. She tripped over a large rock. She knew she was going to crash into the mirror so she put her hands up to brace herself for the impact but there was none. She was surprised when she didn't hear glass breaking. She opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by tall trees, taller than the ones she had previously been in.

Allison rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things. "Maybe I died and this is paradise."

She stood up and looked around. "This seems too real to me."

"Why are you talking to yourself?" A voice asked her from behind. She turned around and saw a blonde girl with long braids and a slightly shorter boy with brown hair standing by her side. They both seemed to be in old clothes, something people from medieval times wore. _Maybe I time traveled._

"Who are you?" Allison asked cautiously.

"I'm Gretel and this is my brother, Hansel." She said motioning to the boy next to her.

Allison scoffed. "Right, and I'm Sleeping Beauty."

"That's a pretty weird name." He said suspiciously.

"I was being sarcastic, kid. Calm down. Can you just tell me what you're real names are?" She asked. "I'm really not in the mood to play games."

"We already told you. Now tell us your name." Gretel demanded. "And don't lie this time."

Allison was confused. _Why would anyone name their kids Hansel and Gretel?_ "It's Allison, but you can call me Ally. Could you tell me where we are?"

"The Enchanted Forest, duh." Hansel replied.

"Maybe she's hurt, Hansel and doesn't remember things." Gretel suggested.

"The Enchanted Forest?" Ally questioned. "What state is that in?"

"State?" Gretel asked confused.

Ally nodded. "Yea, like California, Pennsylvania, Vermont…because this is definitely not New Jersey."

"I've never heard of those places before." Hansel said.

Ally realized that she wasn't home after all. "I must be dreaming. If I pinch myself. I'll wake up." She closed her eyes and pinched her arm. "Ow." She opened her eyes and saw the same two people staring at her with blank expressions on their faces.

"You're weird." Hansel said with a disgusted face.

Allison's eyes grew wide. "It _is_ real."

"What are you talking about?" Gretel asked her.

"This place…" She looked around. "It's real."

Gretel nodded. "Yes, and so are we."

"The mirror!" Allison shrieked. "It must've been a portal." She turned to look at the spot she thought the mirror was at. She then turned in a circle looking for it. "Where is it?" She asked herself.

"Maybe you should lie down and rest." Gretel suggested.

"No." Ally said firmly. "What I need to do is find a way home. Is there a town nearby?"

"We think there's one close by. About a day and a half's journey." Hansel replied.

"Oh...that's it?" She asked sarcastically.

Gretel placed her hands on her hips. "Do you want to come with us or not?"

"Yes, I'm coming." Ally picked up her back pack and began following them. She couldn't believe she was following 'Hansel and Gretel' through the 'Enchanted Forest'. She thought she was going crazy.

**Thoughts on the first chapter? I would love to know what you think so far.**


	2. Chapter 2 Fairytale World

Chapter 2: Fairytale World

Allison felt like they've been walking for hours and she was growing tired. Her feet were killing her and her stockings were getting stuck on everything, providing her with many holes. "So…are we ever gonna rest for a bit?"

"We shouldn't burn daylight." Gretel responded, knowing full well that it was never good to travel at night.

"We haven't been walking that long. Why are you so tired?" Hansel asked following close behind her.

"I didn't get a good night sleep the night before, so excuse me for being tired." Ally shot back. "Besides, these shoes are not made for walking in the woods and neither is this outfit."

Gretel sighed. She didn't think her new companion would do this much complaining, especially within the first few hours. "Fine, we'll rest if you stop complaining…but only for a few minutes."

"Oh, you're so kind." Ally said giving the blonde a fake smile.

Hansel took a seat against a tree. "So what's your world like?" He asked curiously.

Allison rested her had against another tree across from Hansel. She just wanted to rest her eyes for the few moments she had. "Well, for starters…nobody dresses like that." She motioned to their clothes. "And we at least have bikes to get to places rather than walking everywhere. We have phones that you can call people on and…"

Gretel interrupted her. "Wait, slow down! You're going too fast. Now what is a phone?"

Allison opened her backpack and pulled out her Iphone. The nuns allowed her to get the phone if she could afford it which she paid the bill with the money she earned from her waitressing job she did on the weekends. She got paid under the table over course, for she is too young. "It allows you to call people, send messages, play games, and so much more."

"All on that little thing?" Hansel asked crawling closer to examine the little device in her hand.

Allison nodded. "Mmhmm. I don't know how though, it just happens."

"It's probably magic." Gretel said still looking at the device in Ally's hand.

Ally rolled her eyes. "Yea…right…magic."

Hansel nodded. "Sounds like magic."

"Wait. You two actually think it's magic?" She said looking between the two of them. "Magic doesn't exist."

Gretel nodded. "It does in our world."

"Are you serious?" Ally asked crossing her arms. _Magic doesn't exist, it can't. There's no way this is happening right now._

"I'm guessing the world you live in is a land without magic, yes?" Hansel asked.

"Yea…so why don't you explain _this_ land to me." Ally suggested. "Because it seems to me as though things are very different from my own land."

Gretel shrugged. "There's not much to tell really. You ask the questions."

Ally nodded. "Alright. Um…does everyone have magic?"

"Oh no!" Hansel waved her off. "Only some people do…like fairies."

"Fairies." Ally repeated him. "Like 'Bibidi, Bobidi, Boo' fairies?"

"What?" Gretel asked confused.

Ally shook her head. "Never mind. So why are you two out here alone anyway?"

"The Evil Queen sent us here with her dark magic." Gretel answered her.

"Evil Queen?" Ally asked furrowing her eyebrows. "Like…with Snow White?"

Hansel nodded. "Yea. She wanted us to get something from the Blind Witch. In exchange, she said she would help us find our father, only she lied."

"What happened? What did she want you to get from the witch?" Ally asked sounding intrigued with their story.

"She wanted us to get some stupid apple for her." Gretel said rolling her eyes. "She offered us to stay with her but we just wanted our father so we refused her and she sent us here."

"That was over a week ago." Hansel added.

Ally had so many things going through her mind. She realized that this must be Fairytale World, where all the characters she grew up reading and watching movies about actually lived. "I thought you two were eaten by the witch?"

"She almost did but we put her in the oven instead." Gretel responded.

Ally crossed her arms. "So you retrieved the apple for the Evil Queen that she will poison Snow White with?"

"She's going to poison her?" Hansel shrieked.

"How do you know that?" Gretel asked suspiciously.

Ally didn't know whether or not to tell them about the stories in her world. "Ugh, well doesn't the Evil Queen hate Snow White?" They nodded. "I was just guessing. I mean, why else would she need that _exact _apple when there are plenty of other ones growing around."

Gretel lowered her head. "Poor Snow White." She said solemnly.

Ally Smiled. "Don't worry; Prince Charming will wake her up." They looked at her funny. "I'm hoping." She quickly added.

Hansel nodded his head slowly. "Right….I think we should start walking again."

Ally stood up. "Hopefully we'll find a road soon."

00000

They walked for a few more hours before stopping for the night. One person stayed awake to keep a look out, taking turns every few hours. Ally kept thinking this was all a dream but she was wrong. She didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing to be stuck in another world with no clue how to get back.

She tried to think logically. _This is the fairytale world; it has magic which means there has to be a way to travel between worlds. Alice fell down a rabbit hole and she magically appeared in Wonderland. Wendy and her brothers flew to Neverland using Pixie Dust. Dorothy was transported to Oz by a freaking tornado and got back by clicking her ruby slippers together. Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund found Narnia through a simple wardrobe, there's got to be a way!_

Once morning came, Ally opened a pack of crackers for them to share. She didn't want to eat all the food she packed in one sitting so she saved it for later. They began walking again and soon found a road. Ally was so happy when she saw the horses and carriages; it meant they were getting closer to a village.

"I can't wait to get something to eat." Hansel exclaimed.

"Hansel, we don't have any money." Gretel reminded him. She turned to Ally. "Do you?"

"Only money from my world." She replied. "I doubt it will do much good here.

"We could try." Gretel suggested to which Ally agreed.

When they reached the first vendor they saw selling food, they ran over to his cart. They all picked out a few things and were ready to pay. They were hoping he would accept the foreign money. "That will be 8 silvers please." He told them.

Ally handed him 8 quarters and they started to walk away. "Wait a minute!" He called after them. "These aren't silvers. You're trying to pull a fast one by me."

Ally quickly thought on her feet, like she always did. "Oh no. We would never do that. This is the new currency. I'm surprised you didn't know."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "New currency?"

Ally nodded. "Yes. It went into effect just this morning. They sent the message out last week. Did this village not receive it?" She questioned.

He shook his head; he was still confused. "We heard nothing about a currency switch."

Ally put her finger up to her lips. "Hmm. That's strange. Maybe something happened to the messenger along the way." She suggested.

"Could be." The vendor agreed. "Thank you for the update little lady. Enjoy the food."

Ally smiled. "No problem, sir. Thank you and have a nice day."

The vendor tipped his hat to them and they went on their way.

"Way to go!" Gretel exclaimed.

"Gretel is usually good at lying but I don't think she could've pulled that off." Hansel added.

Gretel agreed. "He's right. That was really sly."

"Thanks." Ally said smiling at her accomplishment. "It's a gift."

"So what are you going to do now that we reached the village?" Hansel asked her.

"Well my first reaction upon arriving in this land was to find my way back home. I've been thinking along the way and realized there's nothing for me back in my own world." She replied. "But I'd still like to find a way just in case I change my mind."

"You can come with us to find our father?" Gretel offered her.

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "Yea, why not. I have nothing better to do. Where do you think he is?"

"We don't know." Hansel replied.

"I guess we just ask around." Ally suggested.

"Yes, but not here. They might catch onto our lie. We better head to the next village." Gretel suggested.

"Good point." Ally agreed. "Are you guys ready?"

"I'm not finished yet." Hansel said.

"Here." Ally said holding out her opened bag. "We will save it for later."

"Good idea. Who knows how long it will take to get to the next village." Gretel pointed out.

* * *

They decided it would be best to travel through the woods instead of on the dirt road; they didn't want anyone seeing them.

"So how many Kings, Queens, and Kingdoms are there exactly?" Ally asked wanting to know what the real fairytale world was like instead of reading about it in stories.

"Too many to remember." Gretel replied as she kept walking.

"That many?" Ally asked shocked.

Hansel turned around to face her. "The Enchanted Forest is a big place."

"A little _too_ big if you ask me." Ally said as she continued to follow them.

"That's why we need your help to find our dad." Gretel said. "The more help we have, the sooner we'll find him…hopefully."

Ally tried to encourage them and raise their spirits. "I'm sure we'll find him. Although, I don't know how much help _I'll_ be. You know this land better than I do."

"You already helped us secure food." Hansel pointed out. "I think you're contributing enough."

Ally and Gretel chuckled. "Wait." Ally whispered. They all froze.

"What is it?" Hansel asked.

"Shh." Ally said quickly. "Do you hear that?"

They remained quiet and listened. "It sounds like crying." Gretel observed.

"_A lot_ of people crying." Hansel added.

Ally tiptoed closer to the noise. She hid behind a tree so she wouldn't be seen. They followed her lead and peaked out. They saw a bunch of little men crouched around something.

"Dwarves!" Hansel exclaimed only to be shushed by his female companions.

"Dwarves as in 'Hei Ho'?" Ally asked.

"Well they whistle that tune…" Gretel replied.

Ally looked back at the scene a few yards away from her. "That must be Snow White's coffin."

"She's dead!" Gretel shrieked covering her mouth. "We killed her!"

Hansel put his hand on his head. "You were right. This is terrible!"

Ally smirked. "Remember what I said after that?"

Gretel thought for a moment then smiled. "That Prince Charming will wake her up!"

They heard a horse galloping towards the coffin so they ducked behind the tree. When they heard the galloping stop, they peaked out once again. They were close enough to hear what was being said.

"You're too late." Doc told Charming solemnly.

"No. No!" He rushed over to the coffin and looked at Grumpy. "Open it." He demanded.

"I'm sorry, she's gone." He replied.

Charming sighed. "At least let me say goodbye." They removed the glass covering. Charming leaned down and kissed her lips. A strong wind was sent through the air when their lips touched.

"What was that?" Ally asked her 'friends'.

"The spell must've broken." Hansel suggested.

"Of course!" Gretel exclaimed. "True love's kiss!"

Ally looked over at her and furrowed her eyebrows. "Really? That actually works?"

Snow suddenly opened her eyes and gasped, taking in a breath of air. "You…you found me." She said caressing his face.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" He asked helping her sit up.

"Truthfully…the glass coffin gave me pause." She answered smiling up at him.

"You never have to worry. I will always find you." Charming replied.

Snow kissed him again, this time making it last longer.

"This is even better than the story!" Ally said smiling as she watched the pair share a passionate kiss.

"And so romantic!" Gretel added.

"And disgusting!" Hansel said a little too loud causing Snow and Charming to break their kiss.

"Shh!" Gretel and Ally said.

"Who's there?!" Charming yelled. He lifted Snow out of the coffin and set her down. He drew his sword and pointed it in their direction. "Come out now and I won't kill you."

Hansel and Gretel ran out from behind the tree. "Please don't kill us!" They begged.

Ally sighed and slowing made her way in front of the tree. "Really guys? You give up that quickly?"

"What are you doing here?" He asked them.

"Charming, they're just children. You can lower your sword." Snow pointed out so he did.

"We were looking for our father." Gretel explained.

"Are you lost?" Snow asked.

"Kinda. We just don't know where he is." Hansel replied.

"Maybe we can help you." Grumpy offered. "We've seen many people go by." They both ran over to the Dwarves, hoping they had any information about their father's whereabouts.

"Why aren't you joining them?" Snow asked Ally.

"Oh, I'm not related to them." Ally replied. "I'm just traveling with them so I won't be alone."

"Where are your parents?" Charming asked.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be here." She said with a slight attitude but then quickly apologized. She didn't mean to sound like that. She also couldn't stop staring at Snow.

"Why are you staring at her?" Charming asked protectively.

"Oh um…" Ally shuffled her feet. "I know this might sound crazy but I'm from another world. Where I come from this whole world is written into stories. I've read about both of you."

Charming looked her up and down. "So that explains the outfit."

Ally giggled. "Yea, I suppose I stick out like a sore thumb."

Charming nodded. "Just a little…"

"So what are you planning to do now?" Ally asked them.

Snow smiled." We're going to take back the Kingdom."

Ally's eyes grew wide. "You're going to take back the Kingdom from the Evil Queen?"

Snow nodded. "Hers and King Georges."

"Who's King George?" Ally asked.

"My father." Charming answered. "He is a terrible ruler and tried to kill me before. I think it's time to switch things up."

"I second that." Snow said beaming towards her husband.

Ally nodded her head slowly. "Well…good luck with that."

Snow turned back to the young girl. "And good luck to you and your friends. I hope you find who you are looking for."

"Thank you." Ally was a little hesitant to ask Snow her next question. "Um…Snow?"

"Yes?" She asked.

Ally shook her head. "Nevermind." She was too afraid to ask; she was meeting Princess Snow White after all.

Snow eyed her suspiciously. She knew Ally had something on her mind. "What is it?"

Ally shuffled her feet, feeling a little awkward. "Well, would you mind if I, ya know, gave you a hug? I always thought you were just some fairytale character but now that I know you're real…I'm just freaking out is all."

Snow laughed. "Of course you can have a hug." She embraced Ally tightly. Ally had butterflies in her stomach, she was so happy. _I'm hugging Snow freakin White!_

* * *

Ally waited for Hansel and Gretel to finish talking to the Dwarves. "Did they help?"

Gretel shook her head solemnly. "No, they haven't heard or seen anything."

"We're never going to find him." Hansel said in the same tone as his sister.

Ally sighed. "Come on. Let's keep going." She thought this would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

They left Snow, Charming and the Dwarves and were walking for a bit when they reached a lake and decided to stop, rest and get rinsed off.

"The next village we see, we should ask exactly where we are. I hate just wandering around aimlessly." Ally said ringing out her hair.

Hansel put his shirt back on. "I wonder if the currency change will work again."

"Do you think we should try it?" Gretel asked while putting her shoes back on. "It could be risky."

Ally thought for a moment. "I say we try it and run like hell if they catch on."

Gretel shrugged her shoulders. "Why not. It's not like we have a better idea." They picked themselves up and began waking again.

"So how long has the Evil Queen been on the throne?" Ally asked trying to break the silence between them.

"A little before we were born I think." Gretel answer her as she climbed over a fallen tree.

"Why did she offer you to stay with her?" Ally continued her questioning.

"She probably wanted to torture us or something." Hansel replied knowing a lot of what the Evil Queen has done to many people and villages.

"Maybe she just wanted some company." Ally suggested as she climbed over the same tree as Gretel had before her.

"Yea, right!" Gretel scoffed waiting for the others. "She's the _Evil _Queen. She likes watching people suffer."

Ally remembered the stories she's read and none mentioned the Evil Queen actually liking people. But so far these fairytale characters have been different. _Snow White and Prince Charming were supposed to live happily ever after not go to war with two kingdoms. Hansel and Gretel were supposed to be eaten by a witch but that didn't happen. These are certainly not the traditional fairytales I read when I was little._

"I wonder if we will meet other fairytale characters." Ally said talking out loud.

"Who did you want to meet?" Hansel asked.

Ally thought about it for a minute. "Belle would be pretty cool. Oh and Rapunzel would be nice to meet too."

Gretel and Hansel gave each other confused looks. "Who are they?"

Ally furrowed her eyebrows in their direction. "Wait. You don't know who they are?"

They shook their heads. "Not everyone in the Enchanted Forest knows everyone, ya know." Gretel pointed out.

Ally put her head down. "Oh…no, that didn't occur to me."

"I didn't mean to snap at you." Gretel apologized. "Can we keep moving?"

Ally nodded. She remained quiet as they continued walking. She had plenty of time to think. Think about her life back home, the people back there and what she would be doing at that very moment. She didn't want to be in this world anymore, even if it was full of fairytale characters. She missed her bed and the bathroom most of all.

* * *

The woods were starting to get to her. Sure, they were fun when you could leave anytime you wanted but to be lost in them is a different story. The bugs were starting to bother her and she was tired of walking. She hated feeling dirty and wanted a shower desperately. She just wanted to go back home to her world, no matter how much she hated it.

"This is kinda getting annoying now. We have no idea where we are and we barely have any food left. I just wanna go home!" Ally said frustrated as she swat away bugs from her face.

"You think this is a picnic for us?" Hansel shot back.

Ally stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips. "Well there's really no point to search for your father unless we have a clue as to where he might be." She said with an attitude.

"If you don't want to help, you don't have to. It's not like it's your own father you're looking for." Gretel said with the same attitude Ally gave.

"Maybe you both should just give up." Ally shouted. "You'll never find him in these endless woods."

Gretel crossed her arms in front of her. "We will find him with or without you!"

Ally scoffed. "Yea, right."

Gretel was tired of Ally's attitude and stormed over to her, their faces inches apart. "I know you don't have a family and all but we are still trying to get ours back while we still can."

"How the hell do you know anything about me?" Ally shot back.

Gretel smirked. "I went through your sketchbook while you were sleeping. You drew you with a mom and dad. The portrait said 'I wish this was my family'." She said in a mocking tone.

Ally pushed Gretel hard to the ground. "You had no right going through my belongings!"

"Well I did. So what are you going to do about it?" Gretel asked knowing Ally wasn't going to do anything.

"Stop it!" Hansel yelled. "We have to stick together."

"Yea, cuz that's been working _so_ well…" Ally said crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"It has been." Hansel replied. "Maybe if we find someone with magic who can help us…"

Gretel got to her feet. "We don't know anyone with magic, Hansel, other than the Evil Queen and she won't be helping us anytime soon."

"Did I hear someone say 'magic'?" A voice from behind asked making them jump.

"Who are you?" Gretel asked suspiciously.

Ally couldn't stop staring at the mysterious man's skin color and texture. His voice also creeped her out.

The man bowed before them. "Rumplestiltskin's the name and helping is my game, for a price that is."

The story of 'Rumplestiltskin' ran through her mind as soon as he said his name. "How will you be a help to us?" Ally asked crossing her arms. "All you can do is spin straw into gold."

"That's not all, dearie. I know the things you seek. You're looking for a way home." He said to Ally before turning towards the twins. "And you two want to find your father."

"You probably overheard us just talking." Gretel pointed out being the only explanation as to how he knew that information.

"I can help you in your quest by telling you what you need to know." He offered.

"We aren't giving you any of our first born children if that's what you're asking for in return." Ally said firmly.

He shook his head and waved her off. "No, I don't have time to wait until you three grow up and have children. I need you to retrieve something for me."

"Not another apple I hope." Hansel said rolling his eyes causing Gretel to nudge him.

"No, this will be much more complicated than a blind witch." Rumplstiltskin replied as he began circling them.

"And what would that be?" Gretel asked curiously.

Rumple smiled deviously. "A sea witch."

Ally instantly thought of _The Little Mermaid._ "You mean Ursula?"

"I see you've heard of her." Rumple said eyeing Ally a few feet aaway.

Ally was definitely not going to tell him how she knew her or that she was from another world. "Just briefly."

Rumple didn't give it a second thought. "So do we have a deal?"

"Not so fast..." Ally stopped him. "How would we retrieve the squid ink if we can't breathe underwater?"

"Smart girl." Rumple nodded and thought about it for a moment. "Tell you what. I'll include a potion for you that will allow you three to breathe under water, free of charge."

Ally gave him a fake smile. "My my, dear Rumple, you're too generous." She said sarcastically.

Her choice of words and the way she said them reminded him of someone. "Do you, by any chance, know the Evil Queen?"

"She's not from this world, genius." Hansel said glaring at him. Ally sighed and put her face in her hands. "How is she supposed to know the Evil Queen?"

Rumple's theory was just confirmed. "Nevermind. Do we have a deal or not?"

"Give us half the information now and when we come back with the squid ink, you tell us the rest." Ally negotiated.

Rumple realized just how smart this girl was. "You remind me of the Evil Queen's mother, always amending contracts, but that's beside the point."

This peeked Ally's interest. "What deal did you make with her mother?"

"If you sign the contract, I'll tell you when you come back along with the rest of the information you seek." He renegotiated.

"And what happens if we fail?" Gretel asked.

"The only way you'd fail would be if the Sea Witch killed you or turned you into some sea creature." He replied. "But fail to return the squid ink to me if you do succeed will result in dire consequences."

"Why don't you go get it yourself?" Hansel asked.

"The Sea Witch and I have a complicated history." He said. "I'm not welcome in the fathoms below."

Ally couldn't think of anything else to object to. She knew she shouldn't be making deals with Rumplstiltskin but his offer was just too enticing to resist, plus she really wanted to get home. "Deal."

Two contracts suddenly appeared in his hands for the kids to sign. When they did, he told Ally about a magical man with a hat that could travel between worlds and he told the twins that their father was locked away but he wouldn't say where. He gave them the potion they needed to breathe underwater. He was in good spirits so he also pointed them in the Sea Witch's lair.

"So how are we going to get the squid ink from the Sea Witch?" Hansel asked as they set off on their journey.

Ally sighed. "I have a feeling we will have to make another deal."

"Great…" She said sarcastically following Ally.

"What else do you know about her?" Hansel asked trailing behind.

"First of all, don't go around telling people I'm from another world." Ally turned around to face Hansel. "It's not something I want people to know."

Hansel put his hands up in defensive mode. "Okay, I won't."

"Good." Ally nodded in satisfaction. "The Sea Witch drives a hard bargain…she's obsessed with power. She'll probably want us to get the trident from King Triton, which we are definitely not doing."

"Why not?" Hansel asked.

Ally turned to continue walking. "Because the trident can like do anything…She'll probably take over the world with it."

"It's that powerful?" Gretel asked.

Ally let out a small laugh. "I don't know, it seemed powerful in the movie."

"Movie?" Hansel asked confused by the term.

"I'll tell ya later." Ally replied. She didn't feel like getting into another thing from her world.

"So what if she asks for it?" Gretel asked wanting to know what Ally's plan was. "How do we get out of it?"

"Give me some time to think." Ally replied a little frustrated with their constant questioning. _I don't know all the answers._

"What if we just steal the squid ink from her?" Hansel asked thinking it was a good idea.

Ally shook her head. _Why am I stuck with two idiots. _"She's a witch…she has magic." She turned to face them. "Do you remember the last time you two tried to steal something from a witch?"

Hansel put his head down. "We were almost eaten."

"Exactly." Ally said knowing they would see her point. "So we do this my way…Besides" She turned to continue walking. "She holds the ink within her so it would be a little hard to steal it."

"What do you mean it's 'within her'?" Gretel asked totally confused.

"She's the squid." Ally said nonchalantly.

Hansel ran in front of Ally. "Are you serious?"

Ally furrowed her eyebrows. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"This is going to be a challenge." Gretel complained.

Ally patted the blonde's shoulder. "Think of it as a mission."

"Why?" Hansel asked.

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "Because it sounds better…" They traveled in silence for the rest of their journey.

**Thoughts anyone? I would love to know what you think so far. Any suggestions as to what you want to see happen?**


	3. Chapter 3 Under the Sea

Chapter 3: Under the Sea

They tried the currency trick in the next village and with luck on their side, it worked. They rested for the night.

"I think we should set up camp here so we will be fully rested for our trip under the sea tomorrow." Ally suggested since the sun had just set and it was getting difficult for them to see where they were going.

The twins agreed and began setting up their 'bedding' for the night, which was a bunch of leaves. Ally rested her head on her backpack and stared up at the stars. She listened to the crickets chirp, night owls and the nightingale for a good while. It made her mind wander. She was interrupted when she heard Gretel say something. "Can I ask you a question?" Gretel whispered just in case they she and Hansel were already sleeping.

Ally sighed. "What is it?" She whispered back.

"What's it like to be parentless?" Gretel asked.

"That's a rude question to ask." Ally snapped.

Gretel propped herself up on her elbows. "I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to know what it felt like to not have parents…because it is a possibility for me and Hansel." She said sadly.

Ally felt bad for snapping at the blonde, even if she was annoying. It was a definite possibility that they wouldn't find their dad. Ally sat up and leaned her back against a tree. "Well, it's kinda lonely I suppose. You don't feel loved, you don't have many friends, you're constantly taking advantage of…I don't know, that might be just me. Being an orphan in this world might be different." She pointed out.

Gretel crawled over to sit next to her by the tree. "I'm sorry you never felt loved." She said genuinely.

Ally nodded. She didn't really know what to say to that. She looked over at Gretel. "Could you tell me what your parents are like?"

"Sure." Gretel responded. She hoped this helped Ally rather than make her more upset. "My mother became very ill and died when we were five. She was beautiful with her long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. She had the bluest eyes I've ever seen…"

"I bet that's where you get your pretty hair from." Ally said smiling genuinely at Gretel probably for the first time they had met. "Sounds like you remember her quite well."

Gretel shook her head. "Only some things…the details are fading away with each passing day."

Ally didn't know what to say. She began digging in her bag and pulled out her phone. "What are you doing?" Gretel asked her.

"I'm taking a picture so I will never forget you, now smile." Ally and Gretel leaned their heads together and smiled as Ally snapped the photo. They took a few more pictures adding funny faces here and there. Once Ally out her phone away she asked Gretel another question. "So what's your dad like?"

"He's funny, always making me feel better when I'm either sick or feeling sad. I know I can talk to him with just about anything. He's the best dad." She replied as vivid memories of her father played in her mind.

"Is that what it's like to have a parent? Someone always there for you no matter what you do?" Ally asked.

Gretel nodded. "Yea, they give you unconditional love." Ally lowered her head. "I'm sure you'll find parents someday, Ally."

Ally was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "I'm going to bed. I suddenly became very tired." She laid back down on her backpack with her back towards Gretel.

Gretel knew she couldn't say anything to try to cheer her up so she went back over to her spot next to Hansel and went to sleep.

* * *

Once morning came, they were on the road again. They finally reached the ocean the Sea Witch lived under. Ally reached into her backpack and pulled out the three potions given to them by Rumplestiltskin. They hid the few belongings they had under a bush before Ally handed the bottles to her companions.

"Drink up!" Ally said holding up the bottle.

"Wait!" Hansel shrieked.

"What?" Ally asked confused.

"Are there any other monsters or things down there that we should know about?" He asked worriedly.

"And how do we know these potions won't turn us into frogs or something?" Gretel added.

Ally sighed. "Why would he turn us into frogs when he needs us to get the squid ink for him?" They both looked baffled. "Besides, I read the contract. It said nothing about a frog. As for the monsters, I'd expect to see other creatures down there. Hopefully the mermaids are nice."

"Why would there be mermaids down there?" Hansel asked.

Ally flung her hands in the air. She was getting really tired of their questioning. "Every other god forsaken fairytale character seems to be real so why shouldn't mermaids be?!"

Gretel glared at her. "Let's just drink the potion."

Ally held out her bottle. "Cheers, losers." They clanked the potion bottles together before swallowing the blue liquid.

They waited for the potion to kick in and when it did, they began gasping for air. Ally quickly jumped into the water followed by the other two. They were able to breathe under water, and to their surprise, talk as well.

_Rumplestiltskin actually did something that truly helped ._Ally thought.

"Remember, we only have three hours so lets get what we came for." Gretel said. After receiving agreeing nods from Ally and Hansel, she began swimming straight down, hoping she would run into someone to ask questions. She saw something colorful out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, wait a minute!" She swam as fast as she could with this figure. Ally and Hansel were desperately trying to catch up to her; clearly they weren't the best swimmers. Gretel stopped suddenly. She lost the creature she was following, giving the two stragglers enough time to catch up to her.

"What the hell, Gretel?" Ally snapped when they finally reached her.

"I saw something and I wanted to ask for directions." She replied.

"Tell us what you're doing next time before just taking off like that." Ally said annoyed.

"I'm just trying to help." Gretel said with an attitude.

"Don't start fighting. We don't have time!" Hansel yelled at them. A fish swam by them and Hansel got his attention. "Excuse me little fishy?"

The fish swam back towards him. "Yes?"

"Do you know the way to the Sea Witch's lair?" He asked.

"Why do you want to go there?" The fishy asked.

"We have to get something from her…" Ally paused realizing she was actually talking to a fish.

"No one ever returns from the Sea Witch's lair." The fishy replied with a scared look on his face.

"Didn't Ariel win against the Sea Witch?" Ally asked.

The fishy looked appalled. "The King's daughter has never been nor ever would go to the Sea Witch."

_Mustn't have happened yet. "_So does that mean there are mermaids?" She asked.

"Of course!" The fishy exclaimed.

"Do you know where I can find Ariel?" She then asked.

"Princess Ariel" He corrected. "should be somewhere in the palace, right down there*

"Thank you." She began swimming in the opposite direction he fish pointed.

Gretel and Hansel caught up to her. "What are you doing? We need to find the Sea' Witch's lair!" Gretel exclaimed.

"Why didn't you ask that fish?" Hansel asked.

"Because if I know Ariel, which I kinda do, she's not in the palace." Ally replied as she kept swimming.

"Then where is she?" Hansel questioned.

Ally hated explaining everything to them. "She doesn't like to be confined to the palace. She's probably collecting things."

Gretel was growing annoyed with Ally. She hated not being in charge. "Why do we care where she is? She's not the one we need."

"The Sea Witch's lair is going to be in the opposite direction of the palace." Ally pointed out. "And I kinda wanna meet her."

"We shouldn't be wasting time meeting people you want. We are here to find our father." Gretel yelled at Ally.

Ally rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself, Gretel."

Gretel wanted to fight Ally but Hansel pulled her back and shook his head at her telling her not to do it and to just let it go. Gretel huffed but listened to her brother. They arrived at a ship graveyard.

"This is creepy." Hansel said when he first set eyes on the place.

"Which only means we are getting closer to the witch's lair." Gretel added.

"Watch around for sharks." Ally warned, scanning the place fir any signs of Ariel.

Gretel glared at her. "Great, just what we need." She said sarcastically.

Ally ignored her. "Look! There she is!" They saw her go into a little window to one of the ships and followed her in moments later.

"Excuse me, are you Ariel?" Ally asked.

Ariel spun around frightened by the sudden voice. "Who are you?" She asked cautiously. "And what are you doing here?"

"My name is Ally and these are my friends, Hansel and Gretel." Ally was hesitant at first to continue but when was she ever going to get the chance to meet Ariel. "I just wanted to meet you."

Ariel furrowed her eye brows. "What for?" Ariel didn't think she was anything special. Sure, she was a princess but that's hardly a reason for anyone wanting to meet her she thought.

"This might sound crazy but I'm from another world." Ally said.

Hansel put his hands on his hips. "I thought you didn't want to tell people where you're from?"

Ariel ignored his comment and noticed their legs. "You're from the land above."

Ally nodded. "Well yes, but still another world completely and you're like a hero there."

Ariel smirked. "That's a little hard to believe."

"Ariel, we should get back." A yellow fish with blue stripes swam up behind Ariel.

Ally's mouth dropped. "Oh my goodness! Flounder!" She engulfed him in a hug that he wriggled out of. He looked scared hiding behind Ariel. "Sorry." Ally said seeing his frightened expression.

"Okay, you met her. Are you happy?" Hansel questioned Ally giving her a hint it was time to go.

"We are wasting time." Gretel added. "We need to get to the Sea Witch now."

Before anyone could say anything else, Flounder began screaming. "Shark!"

A huge shark broke through the ship, trying to eat them. They began swimming as fast as they could to get away from the shark. They all swam in different directions. Ariel managed to trap him in an anchor; he couldn't get free.

They were all breathing heavily, trying to catch their breath.

"Way to go!" Hansel commemorated Ariel on her quick thinking.

"Yea, thanks." Gretel said still trying to catch her breath. "If it weren't for you, we would've been eaten for sure."

Ariel waved them off. "No problem. It's not a real adventure unless there's danger involved."

Ally nodded in agreement. "Very true."

Flounder nudged Ariel. "Now can we get outta here?"

Ariel ignored him. "Why are you going to the Sea Witch anyway?"

"We need come of her squid ink to complete a deal. Could you point us in the right direction?" Gretel asked her.

Ariel smiled. "How about I take you to her?"

Flounder protested. "But Ariel, your father.."

Ariel cut him off. "I think she can help me with something."

"You want to become a human, right?" Ally asked.

Ariel looked astonished. She had never told anyone about her dream. "How did you know that?"

Ally had to come up with an excuse quickly. "I just…saw the way you were looking at our legs. You want to walk on land and discover the shore."

Ariel nodded then blushed. "I also want to meet a man who lives up there."

"I see." Ally replied smiling knowing it was prince Eric she was referring to.

"So what are we waiting for?" Gretel asked a little annoyed that things weren't moving faster.

Ariel led them to Ursula's lair with Flounder complaining the entire time. They were led into the cave by two electric eels. As they were swimming, they noticed creepy little things that covered the ocean floor. They had yellow eyes and watched them the entire time.

"Come in, come in my dear sweet children." Ursula called from the back of the cave.

They cautiously swam closer. Ursula emerged from the darkness of the cave and appeared in front of them. "What can I do you for, children?"

"I want to make a deal with you, Aunt Ursula." Ariel said confidently.

Ally, Hansel, and Gretel all looked at each other confused and mouthed, "Aunt?" They weren't expecting that.

Ursula smiled wickedly. "I thought you'd never come." She said in a deep, husky voice.

Ariel was a bit nervous; she was disobeying her father's rules after all. "I want to become human."

"You do realize you won't see you're precious father or sisters again?" Ursula questioned making sure she was fully aware of what she was giving up.

Ariel nodded. "So do we have a deal?"

"Not for nothing, of course." Ursula replied and she tapped her fingers together repeatedly.

"What do you want?" Ariel asked. She had nothing to offer Ursula.

Ursula shrugged her shoulders. "It's simple really. What I want form you is…your voice."

_This is just like watching the Little Mermaid at home only this was way better._ Ally was secretly excited that this was actually happening and that she was there to witness it.

"But without my voice, how can I…"

"You'll have your looks. Your pretty face." Ursula started moving her hips back and forth. "And don't underestimate the importance of…body language."

"Why are you holding your breath?" Gretel asked Ally.

"I'm ready for Ursula to start singing 'Poor Unfortunate Souls'." She whispered back smiling.

Hansel and Gretel gave each other confused looks before turning their attention back to the mermaid and the Sea Witch.

"So you get my voice and I become human?" Ariel asked making sure she understood the deal correctly.

Ursula put her finger up. "There's a catch…You have 3 days to capture this man's heart. If you succeed, you will remain a human. But if you fail, you go back to being a mermaid…_and you belong to me_." She said those last 5 words with a particular malice, sending shivers up Ally's spine.

Gretel, Hansel and Ariel gasped. They weren't expecting that last part but Ally saw it coming a mile away. "Do we have a deal?" The Sea Witch asked.

"You have to give them a jar of squid ink right now as part of the deal." Ariel negotiated.

Ursula agreed without a second thought. She just wanted this deal with the little mermaid to go through. "Deal." She produced a contract that Ariel signed quickly. Ursula then handed the kids a jar of her squid ink to which Ally gratefully accepted. The Sea Witch began mixing different ingredients together to make the potion. Ariel was soon engulfed in a giant bubble. Her fin began to spread a part, giving her 2 legs.

"She can't breathe!" Ally told them. "We need to get her to the surface."

They swam as fast as they could to the top. The potion they consumed was beginning to wear off and they were having trouble breathing as well. When they finally reached the top, they were gasping for air. They helped Ariel over to the shore for she had no idea how to swim. Hansel was sent away until the girls could find proper clothing for Ariel. They found a few rags somewhere and gave them to her to put on. Ally then gave Ariel her sweater so she wouldn't be cold. They taught her how to walk before sending her on her way.

"Be careful." Ally warned. "This land is full of monsters just like the sea. Keep your guard up and don't trust anyone too easily."

"And thank you so much for helping us Ariel." Gretel added. "We really appreciate it."

Ariel nodded and gave them each a hug. They wished her good luck and began collecting their belongings. Ally slid the squid ink into her bag before she started ringing out her once straight hair that was now full of loose curls.

Ally sighed. "What I'd do for a straightener right now…"

Gretel looked at her confused but decided to ignore the comment. "Well the hard part's over. All we need to do is get back to Rumplestiltskin."

"I can't believe she made that deal with her." Hansel said walking up behind them.

Ally smiled. "Don't worry, she'll win."

"Another one of your stories?" He asked arching his eye brow.

Ally giggled. "How'd ya guess?"

"You three! Stop right there!" A guard screamed.

"Run!" Gretel yelled. They all began running as fast as they could through the woods. Ally's skirt got caught on a branch. She tugged harder and harder each time until the skirt ripped and she fell. She got up and ran over to her bag that had fallen a few feet away. One of the guards had caught up to her though and grabbed her. "Let me go!" She yelled trying to fight him off.

"What about the other two?" Another guard asked.

"Leave them. It's this one she wants." The head guard replied looking intently at Ally. He then instructed the guard to put Ally in the cage that was attached to a horse. He threw her in and locked it, taking her bag with him.

She looked down at her ripped skirt and her stockings full of holes and covered in dirt. "Sister Rita won't like this at all." She mumbled to herself.

The cage began moving. "Where are you taking me?" She asked as she grabbed the bars to the cage and leaned her head forward.

The guard riding next to her smiled wickedly. "The Queen."

**How do you think Ally will like the Queen? What do you think Regina will do?**


	4. Chapter 4 The Queen

Chapter 4: The Queen

Ally was sitting in the cage as they made their way back to the Queen's castle. She was looking over the cut she got on her knee when she fell. She couldn't believe the condition she was in, ripped clothes and stockings and her hair was a mess. She lost hope that she would be getting home any time soon, if at all.

"Why are you taking me to the Evil Queen?" She asked through the cage.

"Do not refer to her as the 'Evil Queen'." One of the guards instructed. "You will call her 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Highness', understood?"

Ally glared at the man riding beside her. "Okay, but that still doesn't answer my question."

"You are the one who made up the currency switch and conned two villages. People described a girl that looks just like you." The guard replied.

The guard on the other side of the cage added, "They said you stick out with your attire…and they were right." Looking her up and down.

"What is she going to do to me?" Ally asked scared of the answer she was going to receive.

The guard shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. She's always coming up with different punishments." The guards all shared a laughed as Ally sunk back down in the cage. She thought about the Evil Queen and what was going to happen to her; whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

* * *

Once they arrived at the castle, they yanked her out of the cage and tied her hands behind her back. Another guard was carrying her backpack as they led her into the castle. She began looking all around her, getting distracted by everything she saw. She had never been in a castle before and took this chance to see what it was like. They pushed and pulled her when she wasn't walking fast enough. They entered a hall with a bunch of mirrors and Ally couldn't help but stare at her reflection. _The Evil Queen sure does love her mirrors but I look absolutely terrible. Looks like I won't be making a good first impression on the Queen._ They stopped right before entering the room at the end of the hall.

One guard entered through the door. "We have found the girl who 'changed' the currency."

"Good. Bring her in." Ally heard a woman's voice answer him. She assumed this was the voice of the Evil Queen. She took a deep breath before they dragged her in and pushed her to the floor. Ally kept her eyes on the ground, not wanting to look at the Evil Queen.

"This is the girl responsible for conning two villages?" She heard the Evil Queen ask the guards in disbelief. They nodded. "She's just a child." She scoffed.

Ally heard the click of the Queen's heels coming closer to her until they stopped right in front of her. She was so close she could smell the Queen's perfume. _Apples, go figure._

"How old are you, dear?" The Queen asked sweetly to Ally's surprise.

She kept her head down and whispered, "14."

"Look at me when I am speaking to you." Regina commanded.

Ally jumped slightly at the Queen's sudden loud voice. She looked up for the first time, expecting to see an old hag but what she saw was a beautiful young woman. She was dressed in a long, red, velvet dress that hugged her form tightly, with her long, brown curly hair done up in a fancy half-ponytail. Ally couldn't believe this was the Evil Queen everyone was talking about.

"What is your name, child?" Regina asked returning to her sweet voice.

It took Ally a moment to snap out of her trance and comprehend the Queen's question. "Ugh, Ally." She answered nervously.

"I'm assuming that's short for Allison, is it not?" The Queen asked.

Ally nodded. "But you can call me Ally…Your Highness."

Regina smirked. "I like Allison, so that is what I shall call you. Stand up."

Ally complied. Regina began circling the young girl, looking her over. She noticed how beat up her clothes were and how different too. "Where did you get those clothes?"

Ally decided it was best not to tell her exactly where she was from. "My mother is a seamstress. She was trying out different styles. I'm her mannequin basically." She lied.

"Which seamstress is your mother?" The Queen asked.

Ally thought on her feet. "Oh, you wouldn't know her. She just works in the little village I live in."

Regina narrowed her eyes on Ally. "You're lying."

Ally was slowly regaining her confidence. "Why would you think that, Your Majesty?"

"Because I know every seamstress in my Kingdom." Regina replied walking a little closer to her with her hands on her hips.

"I never said I lived in _your_ Kingdom." Ally shot back.

Regina was shocked this young girl would have the nerve to speak to her in such a way. _Obviously this girl has no manners whatsoever. _"Then whose do you live in?"

Ally only heard of one other Kingdom during her journey. "King George's."

Regina narrowed her eyes once more, trying to scare her but Ally didn't flinch. "I still don't believe you."

Ally held her head up high. "Believe what you want, Your Majesty."

Regina gritted her teeth. This girl's courage to stand up to her was starting to aggravate the Queen. "Then where did you get this new 'money' you've been using?" She asked still suspicious of the girl.

Ally forgot about the money issue. "I made it." It was probably the worst lie she had ever told.

Regina could see right through her lie but decided to mess around with the young girl. "And how did you manage to do that?"

Ally didn't answer. The Queen was starting to make her nervous again. She was also running out of lies to tell. It didn't help that she was in a foreign land so she was unfamiliar of what they actually had; she couldn't even come up with a decent lie.

"Give me her bag." Regina instructed the guard holding Ally's backpack. The guard did as he was told then went back to his original position behind Ally.

The Queen began rooting through her bag. Ally knew she would be caught now. Regina pulled out some of the snacks Ally had packed and studied them. They looked unfamiliar to her but continued looking through it. She pulled out Ally's Iphone and dropped the bag on the floor.

"What is this?" The Queen asked flipping it over in her hands.

Ally decided to humor the Queen. "It's a magic mirror."

Regina arched her eyebrows. "Is that so?" Ally nodded. "And how does it work exactly?"

"You have plenty of magic mirrors. I'm sure you know the answer to your question." Ally replied with an attitude. One of the guards pushed her hard for her disrespect towards the Queen. Ally couldn't stop her momentum from carrying her forward into Regina. Regina put her hands up to stop the girl from crashing into her as she glared at the guard. "Sorry, Your Majesty."

"Do _not_ push her." She said firmly. "I will deal with her _my_ way."

The guard nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Regina turned her gaze upon the young girl in front of her. "This is not a normal magic mirror. Tell me how it works." She demanded.

Ally let out a slight laugh. "You need to untie my hands then."

"Just tell me how it works." Regina snapped. She was growing impatient.

Ally rolled her eyes. "Press the button in the middle and slide that bar to the right. Enter the passcode." She whispered. "5683." Regina listened and soon the phone was unlocked at she was at the home screen. "Now you can do whatever you want."

"Show me Snow White." Regina commanded into the device. She waited to see Snow lying in her coffin dead but nothing happened. Ally tried to hold back her laughter when she saw the Queen's face when it didn't work.

"It's not working." Regina frowned.

"You only can do that if someone else has the same kind of mirror." Ally replied referring to FaceTime.

Regina glared at her. "So it's useless…"

"It is in this world…" Ally closed her eyes as soon as she said those words.

"This world?" Regina questioned, catching her slip up."You aren't from this world, are you?"

Ally was caught. _Of course she would catch my mistake. _She couldn't lie anymore. "No, I'm not." She said putting her head down.

"That explains the different clothes and currency but now how you got here." Regina replied.

Ally shuffled her feet. "I accidently fell through a mirror that turned out to be some sort of portal…" An idea suddenly came to Ally. "Do you have a mirror I could go through so I could go get back home?" She asked hopefully.

Regina gave her a sad smile. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, dear. Portals are very hard to come by." Ally put her head back down. Regina turned and slowly began walking away from her. "It's a shame you weren't here a few days ago. Jefferson possibly could've helped."

"Is he the man with the hat?" Ally asked remembering the man Rumple mentioned as part of their deal.

Regina turned around sharply. "You know him?"

Ally shook her head. "Rumplestilskin only mentioned him."

Regina clenched her jaw at the mention of his name. "You've met Rumplestiltskin?"

"Yea, he offered me a deal. He would tell me how to get home if I retrieved squid ink for him." She suddenly got very angry. "Only your stupid guards captured me before I could return it to him." She yelled.

The Queen ignored her little outburst. "The world you live in, does it have magic?" Regina asked retaining her composure even though Ally just raised her voice at her.

"No." Ally replied bitterly.

"Then Jefferson wouldn't have been any help anyway. He can only travel between worlds with magic." She said walking back over to the young girl with her hands on her hips.

"So he lied." Ally said realizing she would have never gotten home with Rumplestiltskin's help.

Regina scoffed. "He wasn't helping you; he just wanted you to do that 'favor' for him."

"But I made sure the contract was valid, without loopholes." She shook her head going over the events that went on between her and Rumple. "He even said I reminded him of your mother when she made a deal with him." She said looking at the Queen trying to understand everything.

Ally noticed the Queen's face when she mentioned her mother. She knew she hit a nerve. Regina's face tightened. "Where's the squid ink?" She demanded.

Ally nodded to the bag on the floor. Regina picked it up and reached in, pulling out the squid ink. "Who else did you meet while you were traveling?"

"Hansel and Gretel…you know them…and you definitely know Snow White." Ally replied.

Regina's eyes grew wide. "You met Snow White?" She asked angrily.

Ally smiled. "Prince Charming had just woken her up from the sleeping curse you put her under. Looks like she's going to get her happy ending after all."

Regina wasn't having any of it. "What are she and her Prince planning to do now?"

"They are going to take back yours and King George's Kingdoms and will win too because good always wins." Smiling triumphantly for Snow and her Prince.

Regina smirked. "We shall see about that. " She yelled at the guards. "Take her to the dungeons!"

* * *

The guards led her to the dungeons and threw her in a cell. She struggled to get to her feet, then looked around as she wiped the dirt of her clothes, not that it really mattered since her white polo shirt was dirty anyway.

"What's a little girl like you doing in a place like this?" A creepy voice came from a dark corner of the cell next to her.

"Who's there?" Ally asked cautiously.

A man came into the light. "A friend."

Ally thought he was creepy. "I'm not looking to make friends. Leave me alone."

"Come here child, I won't hurt you." He called her over with a seductive smile.

"She said leave her alone!" A man from a cell across from hers yelled.

"This doesn't concern you." Snapped the creepy man.

"Leave her alone." He said more firmly gripping the bars to his cell.

The man left her alone but never took his eyes off of her, making her uncomfortable.

She moved to the front of her cell. "Thank you." She said to the man across from her.

"You're welcome. I wouldn't want that to happen to my daughter." He said relaxing his grip on the bars. "My name's Mike."

Ally offered a weak smile. "Ally…" Considering she just met this man, she wanted to know more about the man who just helped her out. "Why are you here anyway?"

"The Queen captured me while I was chopping wood in the forest with my children. She wanted them to do something for her and offered them to stay with her once they came back but they refused her. She then planned to keep us separated forever." He replied telling her his story.

"Wait!" Ally's eyes widened. "Are you by any chance Hansel and Gretel's father?"

"You know my kids?" He asked surprised.

Ally nodded. "I met them in the woods. We traveled together for a few days…right up until I was kidnapped by those stupid guards."

"How are they doing?" He asked her wanting to know more about his kids.

"Well they were fine the last time I saw them." She replied hoping that would satisfy him.

Mike frowned. Ally noticed and tried to cheer him up. "Hey, they can hold their own in a fight. I'm sure they'll be fine. They're searching for you, ya know."

Mike shook his head and smirked. "I don't doubt that."

Ally didn't know what else to say to continue the conversation. "So…how does this whole prison thing work? Do we at least shower?"

Mike chuckled. "Every few days, but it's not private whatsoever."

Ally cringed. "Ew…that's not okay…"

"They separate the boys from the girls though." He added still chuckling from Ally's behavior.

"Still gross!" She said with a disgusted face. "When's the next shower?"

"Tomorrow." He answered.

"Lovely…Can't wait." She said sarcastically as she made her way to the back of her cell and took a seat.

* * *

She thought about her situation the rest of the night and how she could escape. Nothing was coming to mind. She woke up to guards screaming that it was time to shower. They took all the men out first, then the women. Ally did not enjoy this at all. Most people kept their clothes on but it still freaked her out. The water was freezing. She began shivering the longer the water hit her body. She was not happy at all.

They were on their way back to their cells when the creepy man grabbed Ally and pulled her aside without the guards noticing.

"I've been planning this since you arrived." He whispered in her ear as one hand covered her mouth so she couldn't scream. "You're so beautiful…" He ran his hand down her wet check then down her arm. "And so soft."

Ally was scared to death, she knew what was going to happen and she couldn't stop it. Even after trying to fight him off, it didn't work. He wrapped his hands around her waist and began lifting up her shirt. He didn't get too far though, for he was hit over the head with something heavy and fell to the ground beside her. Ally looked behind her and saw Mike standing there with a big rock in his hand. She fixed her shirt and he escorted her back to her back to the line of prisoners.

She was shivering from being so scared, it didn't help that she was dripping wet. He held her close, trying to comfort her. He did this until they were forced back into their own cells. She remained silent for the rest of the day and well into the next. She wanted to repay Mike for saving her and something finally came to mind.

"Excuse me." She asked one of the guards that were passing by her cell.

"What do you want?" He asked rudely.

"I would like to speak to the Queen." She said confidently, holding her head high.

The guard laughed in her face. "You only get to speak to the Queen when she requests you. Besides, she's away at the moment trying to stop Snow White and her Prince from taking over the Kingdoms." He informed her before walking away.

_I guess I shouldn't have told her about their plan._

"Why do you want to talk to her?" Mike asked, breaking her away from her thoughts.

Ally couldn't tell him the truth. "I'm going to bargain with her for my freedom."

Mike grabbed the bars of his cell and leaned his face as close as he could. "Are you crazy?!" He said with wide eyes. "She'll probably kill you!"

Ally shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait until she comes back."

**What offer do you think Ally will propose to the Queen? Thoughts?**


	5. Chapter 5 Proposing A Deal

**This chapter had a lot to do with **_**The Land of Stories **_**by Chris Colfer.**

Chapter 5: Proposing A Deal

Ally had been waiting well over a week for the Queen to return and she was growing impatient. She got to know Mike a little better which only made her want her plan to work even more.

She was sitting in the corner of her cell trying to braid her greasy hair when a guard stopped in front and unlocked it. "The Queen wishes to speak with you."

Ally's eyes grew wide and dropped the pathetic looking braid she was trying to form. "She does?" She asked excitedly making the prisoners around her give her an odd expression. She realized it's probably not a good sign when the Queen summons you.

The guard walked her to the Queens sitting room. "Here's the girl, Your Majesty." He said pushing Ally forward.

Ally looked at the Queen and thought she looked prettier than the first time she saw her, if that were even possible. Regina was wearing a red velvet skirt with a black top that synched at the waist and flowed freely down the back. The top had a huge, silver, intricate collar around her neck. The intricate pattern went down the middle and outlined the top that went down to the ground, making the red of her skirt pop out more. Her hair was done up nicely. Ally couldn't stop staring.

"Leave us!" She commanded, her voice booming through the large room. The guard left as quickly as he could. Ally gulped. _What was I thinking asking to speak to the Queen? I think I've lost my mind._

Regina was sitting on her chaise near the fireplace as she eyed the young girl standing in the middle of the room. "I heard you requested to speak with me."

Ally nodded. "I did, Your Majesty. I wanted to ask you to consider releasing Mike."

The Queen narrowed her eyebrows. "And why would I do that?"

Ally shifted her weight a few times before answering. "I know you wanted his children to stay with you, why I have no idea, but they refused you."

Regina glared at her. "I know what happened, get on with it!" Usually, she wouldn't listen to prisoners but this girl peeked her interest.

"Well what if I take their place…you get what you want." _Whatever that is. "_And they get to be a family again. I know I'm only one kid, but I hope that's enough."

Regina stood up and slowly walked over to her. "And why do you care so much that they get to be a family?"

Ally put her head down and felt the Queen's gaze upon her. "Because I've never had a family before." She sighed. "I just wanted to see a family reunited."

Regina mused over the idea of the girl's proposal. "I'll think about it." She said turning back around to head back to her chaise.

"Why were you gone so long?" The question popped out of Ally's mouth before she even knew what she was saying.

Regina turned halfway around and smiled deviously. "Why? Did you miss me?"

"I just really wanted to talk to you." Ally replied hoping that was a safe answer.

Regina didn't know why but she felt obligated to tell Ally where she was. "Well if you must know…Snow White and her companions captured me. They were going to execute me but she stopped it." She answered, that days' events playing on repeat in her head.

Ally thought about what the Queen had just told her and tried to piece things together. "So, after you tried to poison her, she _still _spared your life. Snow is a _really_ generous and loving person. You're lucky she's your step-daughter."

Regina clenched her jaw. "You don't know her like I do…"

Ally shook her head and narrowed her eyes on the Queen. "Why are you _so_ evil?"

Regina turned her back to the girl. "Ah, the age old question. What makes one become who they are? Let me ask you a question." She turned back to face Ally. "What makes you _not_ evil?"

Ally thought about it for a moment. _Damn. That's a good question. _"I never killed anyone…"

Regina rolled her eyes. "You said you never had a family…what happened?"

Ally wasn't ready to get such a personal question but she felt like she had to answer the Queen. "Well, I've been stuck in an orphanage ever since I was a baby. I don't know what happened to my parents. The nuns used to punish me for even the littlest of mistakes." She said sadly as she lowered her head. "I tried to please them, but they were never satisfied.

"I see." Regina nodded knowing exactly how she felt. She would always try to please her mother but she was never up to her mother's standards. "It appears that we both have been environmentally influenced into being who we are today."

Ally was curious as to what the Queen was referring to. "What made you so miserable?" She genuinely wanted to know.

Regina sighed. "I'm going to tell you a story, Allison, a story that has rarely been told."

Ally scoffed. "I know like all the fairytale stories so I doubt there's a story I don't know."

Regina looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "It's not a fairytale…It's my story."

_Okay, she got me there. I don't know her story. _Ally really wanted to know the Evil Queens story so she took it upon herself to walk over to the Queen's lounging chair by the fireplace. She took a seat, getting as comfortable as she could with her hands still tied behind her back. Regina watched the young girl take a seat without permission but for some reason, she didn't mind.

"Once Upon a Time." Regina began." A young girl of 18 had been in love with a stable boy for many years. They had to keep their love a secret for her mother would ruin everything. Her mother wanted her to marry someone of higher status but she was already a Princess and hated everything about it. She was meeting her love on a hill when they heard a 12 year old girl screaming on a wild horse. Without thinking twice, she jumped on her own horse and went chasing after the girl, She saved her and…"

"The little girl was Snow White!" Ally interrupted cheerfully as she guessed what happened next.

Regina gritted her teeth. "Yes, but do not interrupt me, child." She scolded.

Ally nodded meekly. "Sorry."

Regina continued. "Later that day, Snow's father proposed to me. He just wanted me to be a mother for her but I was in love with Daniel…"

"You were like 6 years older than her, how could you be her mother?" Ally asked interrupting the Queen again. She was really curious to hear more of her story.

Regina narrowed her eyes. "What did I say about interrupting me?!" She said menacingly.

Ally gave her a weak smile. "Right, sorry."

"You make an excellent point though, Allison. Anyway, my mother accepted his proposal on my behalf."

"Oh no, what about Daniel!?" Ally was totally engrossed in the story she didn't realize she interrupted the Queen again.

The Queen threw her hands up in frustration. "Honestly child, do you ever shut your mouth?" Regina shot back.

"I just wanna know what happens! Go on!" She urged the Queen to continue her story.

Regina rolled her eyes at how childish Allison sounded. "I met him in the stable that night where he proposed to me. We were going to run away when Snow caught us. I told her she couldn't tell anyone but she betrayed me and told my mother."

Regina started to get choked up but tried to hide it from the young girl. Ally caught on before the Queen had a chance to slightly compose herself. "We were about to leave when my mother stopped us. She ripped out his heart and crushed it in front of me. Snow caused his death and I was forced to marry her father."

When Regina started to tear up that's when Ally felt sorry for the Queen. She never thought that were possible. Usually Ally didn't show the pain she felt but the Queen's story really got to her and she began to cry. She felt so bad for Regina she couldn't hold back her tears.

"My entire life has been spent trying to recover something that was stolen from me many years ago." Regina sighed wiping away her tears. It was so unlike her to cry. "But I will be remembered as the vain Queen who tried to kill the poor and innocent Princess Snow White and nothing more."

"I always had a feeling there was more to your story." She sniffled trying to make herself stop crying. "I knew you couldn't hate Snow White just because your mirror said she was prettier than you."

"Well now you know, dear." Regina replied walking closer to her once she felt fully composed.

"A villain is a victim whose story has never been told." Ally whispered although the Queen heard and nodded in agreement. "Wise words."

"But I'm sure if you told people your story they wouldn't hate you." Ally suggested with a few tears rolling down her face.

"It's easier to hate, blame and fear than it is to understand. No one wants the truth, they want entertainment." Regina wiped away Ally's remaining tears with her thumb. "Don't cry." She said firmly. Ally hated herself for crying in front of the Queen, it showed she was weak and that was the last thing she wanted the Queen to think.

Ally tried to control her emotions; it really wasn't like her to act like this. "I didn't know ripping hearts out was a thing…"

Regina turned away from her to hide her saddened face. "Well it is, dear."

"You don't do that…do you?" Ally inquired.

Regina composed herself and turned slightly. "Yes, I do. Is that a problem?"

Ally gulped. She just proposed a deal to someone who rips out people's hearts. _What the hell did I just get myself in to?_

Regina walked back over to her. "Are you rethinking your little proposal after you know more about me?" She smirked knowing what Ally's answer was going to be.

Ally shook the feelings she was having because she wanted to reunite Hansel and Gretel with their father. "No, my proposal still stands."

Regina was surprised. She definitely thought she scared this girl off. "Then I will make the deal with you."

Ally looked hopefully. "You will?"

"Yes." Regina said before turning towards the doors. "Guards!" She yelled. "Take her back to her cell and bring me Michael."

The guards threw Ally back into her cell before retrieving Mike.

"Ally, what's going on? Are you okay?" Mike asked quickly before he was dragged down the long dungeon hall.

Ally grabbed the bars of her cell and tried sticking her face out. "Thanks for everything Mike. Say hi to the kids for me!" Ally screamed to him. She couldn't stop smiling; a family was going to be reunited soon.

Mike was confused. He had no idea why Ally would say that and why he was being taken to the Queen. The guards dragged him into the Regina's sitting room.

"Do you know why you are here, Michael?" Regina asked when she saw them bring him in.

"No, Your Majesty." He responded.

"The girl you have grown so close to has made a deal on your behalf." The Queen informed him. "You're going to be reunited with your children and she will stay with me forever."

"No." He said shaking his head in disbelief. "Why would she do that?"

"It doesn't matter." Regina snapped. "We already made the deal." She was about to poof him to his children but he stopped her. "Wait!"

Regina looked aggravated. "What is it now?!" She snapped.

"You have to move Ally to another cell." He said quickly.

Regina looked at him skeptically. "Why?"

He narrowed his eyes on the Queen as he thought about the incident that had taken place. "Because the man in the cell next to her tried to take advantage of her, if you know what I mean?"

Regina's face hardened. "I do." She said in a deep raspy voice.

"He almost succeeded too, but I stopped him." He added. "I fear that if I am not here to look out for her, he will try again and succeed."

Regina glared at him. "I'll take care of it." She waved her hand and he was gone.

Regina pushed past the guards angrily and began walking towards the dungeons. "Why was I not informed about this?" She yelled to the guards trying desperately to keep up with her.

"It happened while you were away, Your Majesty." The guard on her right said.

Another guard chimed in. "We didn't think it was important enough to bother you with, My Queen."

She stopped dead in her tracks and turned around sharply. "A little girl was almost assaulted and you didn't think it was important to tell me?" She yelled in disbelief poking him hard in the chest, pushing him further back into the wall.

"We're sorry, Your Majesty but why do you care what happens to the girl?" One guard asked. "She's just a troublemaker."

Regina didn't know why she felt the need to protect the young girl. She turned sharply to the guard who spoke up. "I don't want anything like that going on in my prison, understood?" She asked arching her eyebrows in his direction.

The guard nodded fearfully. Once she was satisfied they understood her rules, she turned swiftly on her heels and continued her fast-paced walk to the dungeons.

Ally was sitting against the wall in her cell drawing little pictures in the dirt with her finger when she heard heels coming down the dungeon hall. She saw the Queen stop right in front of her cell and unlocked it with the wave of her hand. She was not expecting to see the Queen again so soon, especially down here. She called Ally over and handed her over to the guards. "Take her to my bed chamber. I'll be there momentarily." Ally was confused, she had no idea what was going on. The guards began leading her away so the Queen could carry on with whatever she was going to do.

Once the Queen was sure they were gone, she unlocked the cell next to Ally's. She walked fiercely into the cell and smirked as she saw the man cowering in the corner. "Oh, now you're scared?"

He didn't respond. Her smile diminished and her eyes narrowed. She grabbed his shirt and yanked him up so he was now standing. "How dare you try to take advantage of a little girl!" She growled before plunging her hand into his chest, pulling out his heart. He gasped in pain. "Did you really think you would get away with that?" She didn't give him time to respond before she crushed the heart in her hand. The man lay dead at her feet. She wiped her hands together to get the dust off and smirked at the dead man before her. She was satisfied he was dead, he deserved it after all.

**Well, you probably saw that coming but what do you think anyway?**


	6. Chapter 6 Settling In

Chapter 6: Settling In

Ally was looking over the Queens's makeup and different perfumes on her vanity, spraying each one to see what they smelled like. She had never smelled anything so lovely. Sure, they had perfumes in her world, but nothing like this. The Queen entered the room causing Ally to jump. She wasn't expecting the Queen to come in so quickly. She placed the bottle down immediately, but Regina already saw her. "What are you doing?" Regina asked with a frown on her face as she walked closer to the young girl. She was hoping she wouldn't turn out to be another Snow White.

"I was just smelling your perfumes, calm down." Ally shot back with an attitude.

"Haven't you learned not to go through other people's things?" Regina asked sounding annoyed as she put her hands on her hips.

"It's not like I was searching through your drawers..." Ally countered mimicking Regina's pose.

Regina glared at her. "Follow me." She commanded and starting walking to a door on the far side of the room.

Ally rolled her eyes as the Queen passed her but she followed anyway. The door led to a huge bathroom, with an enormous bath tub in the middle. Ally was amazed, not just with the bathroom but with Regina's entire castle. Regina had style, she knew that, but she would never admit it to the older woman.

Regina pointed to the already filled tub. "The maids will be in to help you."

"I'm not five; I can take a bath by myself." Ally said crossing her arms.

"Fine. I'll have someone come in to give you your clothes." Regina said before leaving.

Once Regina shut the door, she stripped off her dirty clothes and crawled into the tub sinking into the hot water. Her body relaxed a little when she was fully emerged. She let a sigh escape as she laid her head back on the tub and shut her eyes. She couldn't believe where she was; taking a bath in the Evil Queen's castle. She's met a bunch of fairytale characters that she thought to be fiction, nothing more. _This must be a dream_-_it's gotta be_.

Her mind didn't run too far, for there was a knock at the door that interrupted. "I have your clothes." She heard from the other side of the door. She made sure she was covered before she told the maid to come in. The maid entered and placed the clothes and towels beside the tub. She was on the younger side.

"Is there anything else I can do for you miss?" The maid asked.

Ally shook her head. "No, thank you...ugh" She wasn't sure of her name.

"Tara, miss." She replied.

Ally nodded, "Tara. You don't have to call me 'miss'."

"But I do. Queens orders to treat guests respectfully." Tara informed her.

Ally scoffed. "Well I'm not a guest, more like a prisoner."

"Until I get permission from the Queen herself, I must keep referring to you as 'miss'. I'm sorry." Tara apologized.

Ally sighed. "That's okay. I don't want you to get into trouble."

Tara nodded and bowed slightly. "Thank you for understanding, Miss Allison."

"If you have to call me miss, then I want you to refer to me as 'Miss Ally'"

Tara nodded. "As you wish."

Just as Tara was about to leave, another maid burst through the door. This one was much older than Tara, her face full of wrinkles. "The Queen wants her out of the bathroom." She said to Tara. "She is taking entirely too long."

"Okay, I'll hurry up." Ally said waiting for them to get out so she could wash her hair and body.

"You had your chance. I must help you now." The older maid said rolling up her sleeves.

"But I don't want either one of you in here while I take a bath." Ally complained.

"I've done this countless times. Besides, you don't really have a choice." The older woman said as she poured shampoo in her hand.

Ally looked Tara directly in the eyes, pleading with her for something, anything. "Nancy, why don't you let me do it?" Tara offered. "I could really use the practice."

Nancy mulled it over for a moment before agreeing that she could use the practice, seeing that she was a maid in training. "Fine, but you need to be quick. You don't want to anger the Queen." Nancy said putting the shampoo that was on her hand into Tara's and left.

"Thank you." Ally whispered. Tara smiled. "Nancy can be a little overwhelming at times..." She said as she began shampooing Ally's hair.

"I think she scares me more than the Queen." Ally said as Tara ran her fingers through her hair.

Tara chuckled. "See what I have to deal with on a daily basis."

Ally laughed. "Good luck with that..."

They chit chatted and laughed as Tara cleaned her up. Ally was really enjoying Tara's company but was sad when she had to leave her. She helped Ally dress in her white nightgown and sent her out of the bathroom, back into the Queen's bed chambers.

"Took you long enough." The Queen said seeing Ally emerge from the bathroom through her vanity mirror.

"Sorry. I wanted to relax, seeing I don't know when I will get the chance to bathe again." Ally said with an attitude.

"You can bathe whenever you want to." The Queen answered as she looked at herself brushing her hair.

Ally was confused. "What do you mean? Are you giving me private shower time in the dungeon?"

Regina turned around sharply. "What makes you think you're going back to the dungeons?"

"I'm not?" Ally asked rather surprised.

Regina stood up. "Do you really think I would give you a white nightgown to wear just to get dirty in the dungeons?"

"Well I don't know, you're just _full_ of surprises." Ally said in an exaggerated tone.

Regina smirked. "I'm giving you your own bed chamber, since you'll be here for a while. Follow me."

Ally furrowed her eyebrows. _I just don't get her!_

She led the girl down the long hall and around a corridor. She opened a large fancy door that led to an equally large bedroom. "This is mine?" Ally asked looking around the room, forgetting to hide her amazement from Regina.

The Queen nodded. "Yes. I redecorated while you were in the bath. If you don't like something or want to add anything, we can do that tomorrow. You will also be fitted tomorrow for proper clothing. I will not have you roaming around looking like you did when you first came here. You were a mess and your stockings were full of holes. That is completely unacceptable."

Ally was still amazed with the room that she only heard the first part of what the Queen said. She ran over to her vanity, seeing a few of the same perfumes the Queen had on her own vanity. She opened a few drawers and saw different hair clips, brushes, makeup...anything you could think of was in or on the vanity. Regina sat on the bed and took a few moments to watch the child's amazement as she went through everything. Regina couldn't help but smile. She wished she could've done this with a daughter of her own.

Ally forgot the Queen was even in the room. It wasn't until Regina said something that Ally remembered she wasn't alone. "Allison, did you hear what I just said?" The Queen asked. "No, Your Majesty. I was caught up in the moment." Ally replied apologetically.

"I asked you if you liked your room." Regina repeated the question.

Ally nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, very much."

Regina stood. "Good. Now, you should get to bed. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." She said before shutting the doors behind her. Ally thought about it but decided to stay up and look around her new room. _I can't believe I get my own room! A beautiful one at that! The kids back at the orphanage wouldn't believe me if I told them. Sean would really like all the guards and the castle. He would probably be a really good sword fighter. _She crawled onto the soft fluffy bed and snuggled under the sheets. The thought of Sean and her life back home made her sad. There were some things she did miss. She started crying softly to herself until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

She was awoken by someone shaking her. She peeked her one eye open and saw Tara standing next to her bed. "I'm sorry Miss Ally, but you need to be fitted for your clothing."

"Right now?" Ally complained. "It's like 8 in the morning."

"It's actually 7am miss." Tara corrected.

Ally put her face in the pillow and groaned. "It's too early!"

Tara pulled the covers off of her. "I'm sorry but the Queen will be here in 15 minutes. I suggest you get up now not to piss her off."

Ally struggled to push herself up. "Fine, fine. I'm up." She said rubbing her eyes.

Tara pulled her up and walked her over to the vanity. She sat her down and began brushing Ally's hair for her as Ally was still trying to wake up.

"Guess what!" Tara said excitedly.

"What?" Ally asked half a sleep.

"The Queen has assigned me to be your personnel maid!" Tara said smiling widely.

It made Ally smile and she seemed to wake up a bit when she heard the news. "That's wonderful! I'm so excited! We get to hangout like all the time."

"Well I will be working, but yes we will be together quite often." Tara replied as she tried to gently brush out a knot in Ally's hair.

Ally had something one her mind. "Tara, why do you think the Queen offered Hansel and Gretel to live with her?" Ally was curious to figure out that answer.

Tara was caught off guard by the question. "Well, from my time here and the things I've heard, being a maid and such, the Queen is lonely and always wanted a child."

"But she had Snow. She could've been nice to her and treated her as her own child." Ally argued. She knew what Snow did to the Queen back then but she thought maybe she could've tried to let go, but clearly she didn't take that route.

"She could've but Snow was still fixed on her own mother. I think the Queen wanted her own child to love and for someone to love her back unconditionally." Tara offered as a response to her question. That made sense to Ally; Regina wanting a child to call her own.

"But Hansel and Gretel and certainly not myself are her own children. Why offer us to stay with her?" Ally asked.

"You'll have to ask the Queen, herself that question." Tara responded knowing Ally wouldn't dare ask Regina if she knew what was good for her.

Before they could say anything else, the Queen barged into the room followed by Nancy, the head maid, and a few others. "Are we ready?" The Queen asked.

Tara nodded and put the brush back on the vanity. "Yes, Your Majesty." She tapped Ally on the back signaling for her to get up and walk towards the Queen.

"Stand there." The Queen commanded.

Ally forgot how bossy the Queen was and rolled her eyes. She stood on the little platform the maids had brought in. They began to take her measurements down and showed them to the Queen. She nodded. "Very well. Have dresses made up for her but I don't want them to resemble anything Snow had worn. I will make her a few to hold her over until the rest of her wardrobe is finished."

The maids bowed. "Yes, your majesty." Nancy said before hurrying all the maids out, except for Tara.

Regina magicked a few dresses for her and instructed Tara to help her change into one of them. Ally was soon dressed in a dark purple floor length dress that was appropriate for a 14 year old.

"Thank you, Tara. That will be all for now." Regina said excusing Tara. She bowed before leaving.

"Why do I have to wear dresses?" Ally asked as she played with the dress in her hands as she took a step down from the platform.

"What were you expecting?" Regina chuckled.

Ally was going to say something smart back but she should've known she would be expected to wear dresses. _Everyone wears dresses and leather pants in fairy tales, I'm so stupid._

The Queen took the young girl's silence as a victory; Ally didn't come back with a smart aleck remark. "I trust you slept well, dear?" Regina asked taking a seat in an armchair by the fireplace then signaled her over.

Ally nodded and made her way over to the Queen's side. She didn't really know what to say. She didn't want to be completely rude to the Queen; she did just give her an awesome room to herself. "It's a really comfy bed."

Regina nodded. "Is there anything you want to add or change?"

"I'm not sure…" She yawned.

"What time did you go to bed?" Regina asked seeing the girl seemed tired.

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno, I stayed up thinking about stuff."

"Like what?" Regina wanted to know.

"Just stuff." Ally replied. She didn't want to be telling Regina her personal business.

Regina rolled her eyes and stood. "Fine, have it your way." She began walking towards the door.

Ally knew she screwed up. "Wait!" She ran over to the Queen. Regina turned around to face her. "I'm sorry…I'm not used to sharing personnel things with people."

Regina nodded. "If that's the way you want this to go, that's fine. I have better things to do then to entertain a child." She turned to leave.

Ally didn't like when people walked away from her. She placed her hands on her hips. "Why they hell did you want a child anyway?" She yelled.

Regina stiffened, gritted her teeth and turned around slowly. "I'm not sharing anything else with you. "

Ally rolled her eyes and started to walk away. "Whatever."

"Do not walk away from me!" Regina flung out her hands and Ally was floating in mid-air and felt like she was being strangled. She could barely breathe. "Stop, please." She begged weakly.

Regina put her hands down and Ally dropped to the ground. She held her neck and took deep breaths. "This is my castle so you better respect me. I am not playing games, Allison. Do _not_ test me."

Ally didn't respond; she just sat on the floor glaring up at the Queen. Regina felt satisfied she got through to the girl so she turned and left the room.

_I think this might actually be worse than the orphanage._ Ally wasn;t going to let the Queen get to her. She picked herself up and fixed her dress. She was going to get tired of wearing dresses pretty quickly. She felt a throbbing sensation on her arm so walked over to the mirror and turned sideways, seeing a bruise starting to form on her upper right arm. _Just what I need._ There was nothing she could do about it now so she walked out onto her balcony. It was the first time she saw how far the land stretched. She had a fantastic view of the Kingdom and decided to take her breakfast outside that morning.

* * *

Tara brought her breakfast to her 20 minutes later and kept her company while she ate.

"So what went on with you and the Queen?" Tara asked. She heard the shouting that went on between them but not what they said.

Ally sighed. "Regina and I do _not_ get along."

"Yes, I gathered that much." Tara smirked.

"We're just so different…" Ally said before taking a sip of her milk.

Tara shook her head. "You're too much alike, _that's_ why you don't get along."

Ally furrowed her eyebrows. "How do you figure?"

Tara began counting using her fingers. "Well first of all, you are both ungodly stubborn and don't back down too easily. Second, neither one of you trusts the other so you don't like telling each other things. Third, you both give each other attitude when you speak to one another. Fourth..."

Ally put her hands up to stop her. "Okay, okay…you've made your point."

Tara leaned back in her chair satisfied. "Maybe you should get to know the Queen better." Tara suggested.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Ally asked as she buttered her toast. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you…" Tara said.

"She just choked me; unless that's a sign of endearment in this world…she hates me." Ally sighed.

"You could always ask the Queen's father." Tara replied. "He's nice. Keeps to himself mostly."

Ally thought about it for a moment. _If I spend time with her father, he'll probably tell me something about Regina. She's a mystery that I want to solve desperately and I'm hoping her father has the answers I'm looking for. _Her plan for the day: spend time with the Queen's father.

* * *

When Ally was finished her breakfast with Tara, she began walking around the castle in search for the Queen's father, trying her best to avoid Regina. _So far, so good._

It took her 20 minutes to find him. He was quietly reading a book in the library. It was the first time she had seen him so she decided to linger in the doorway and just watch him. She studied his features. He looked like a smart but nice man. The wrinkles on his face revealed his age; she knew he was wise beyond his years.

She quietly walked over and took a seat in the chair across from him. He looked up from his book, her honey brown eyes staring back at him. "You must be Allison, the girl my daughter decided to keep."

"Well it was more of a trade kinda thing." Ally said leaning back in her chair.

He closed his book and laid it beside him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanted someone to talk to…other than the maids; they tell me the same gossip. I need something new, something exciting!"

Henry chuckled. "You think I'm exciting?"

"Well I don't know. Tell me a little about yourself." She said offering him a sweet smile.

He folded his hands and placed them on his lap. He had no idea where to begin. "Well, I like to read, take walks in the garden, watch Regina ride Rocinante…"

Ally interrupted him. "What did you do when you were younger?"

He thought for a moment. "I loved dancing. Balls were my favorite."

Ally nodded and stroked her chin. "You seem like you would be a pretty good dancer. I love dancing myself. I took a few tap and jazz classes when I was younger."

Henry leaned forward. "Why don't you tell me a little more about yourself? Regina tells me you are from another world." He turned the tables on her.

"I am. It's a world without magic so it's boring." She replied.

"Magic destroys people. I world without magic would be a refreshing change…for everyone." Henry replied knowing full how magic can corrupt and manipulate people.

Ally didn't understand what he meant. "Well, I didn't really get along with too many people back in my world. I wasn't well liked." She admitted.

"You seem like a lovely girl, why wouldn't anyone like you?" He asked wanting to know more about her.

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "I just didn't fit in, I guess." She said looking down at her lap as her fingers played with her dress.

He could tell she was upset thinking about her world so he decided to change the subject. "Do you know how to play chess?" She nodded.

"I've been trying to find a worthy component to beat. Are you up for the challenge?" He asked as he stood up.

Ally hopped out of the chair. "You're on old man." She smirked. He led her over to a small round table by the window where the chess board was already set up. They began to play, trying to outsmart the other. Neither one was giving in; she really wanted to prove to the Queen's father that she could win this game. _This would be the perfect time to ask him about Regina. _

"So, what was Regina like when she was younger?" She asked as he studied what piece to move next.

"She was a wild one. Always wanted to play games." He smiled as he remembered his little girl. "She loved riding, still does. She's a very determined young woman."

Ally could see how proud of Regina Henry was just by looking at his face and the way he talked about his daughter. She could tell he really loved her, no matter what she has done as the Evil Queen. She forgot about the game and just listened as Henry went on and on about Regina. She loved hearing old stories of the Queen, it really showed that she wasn't always evil and cunning.

"Are you going to take your turn?" Henry asked her when she wasn't moving any of her pieces.

"Oh, right." She moved her Queen forward one space to protect the King.

"So how do you like the palace so far?" He asked her as he took his turn.

"I dunno. It's alright I guess." She said solemnly. She moved her Queen forward and now his King was blocked in with nowhere to go. He had lost. "I won!" She said happily.

He didn't really care about the game anymore. He wanted to know what was wrong with this little girl. "What don't you like about it?"

"It's not the castle, it's Regina. I don't think she likes me very much." She frowned and leaned back in her chair. "Someone else I can add to my list of people who hate me."

"She doesn't hate you, child. She just doesn't know how to deal with children." He tried explaining to her. "The first child she let in betrayed her."

_Snow White._ "Right, well I don't think using magic on me is a term of endearment."

Henry was disappointed to hear that his daughter used magic on this girl. "She has a very short temper and doesn't always know how to hold her tongue."

"You don't always have to make excuses for her, ya know." Ally replied.

He hung is head low. "She's my daughter. I may not always agree with her decisions but I do respect her."

Ally leaned her arms on the table and rested her head on top. "I want to start over with her but I don't think she wants anything to do with me." She said sadly.

He patted her arm. "Don't give up just yet, Ally. She'll come around."

"I'm not holding my breath." She sighed and stood. "It was really fun hanging out with you, Mr. Queen's dad, sir."

He chuckled. "You can call me Henry."

She smiled. "I hope we can do it again soon."

He nodded. "I'd really like that. I had a wonderful afternoon with you, child."

"Likewise." She said before leaving the library and head back to her room. She was satisfied with the information she received from the Queen's father and needed time to think everything through.

**So…Whacha think?**


	7. Chapter 7 Testing the Waters

Chapter 7: Testing the Waters

Henry forcefully knocked on Regina's bedroom door. "Open up, Regina." He yelled.

The doors quickly opened. "What's wrong daddy?" She asked worriedly.

He walked right past her. She shut the doors behind him; she could tell he was angry. "Would you like to tell me what's bothering you?" She walked over to her bed and took a seat.

"Regina, I understand you're not happy but you don't have to take it out on the child." He said.

"What are you talking about, daddy?" She asked confused.

"You used magic on her, don't deny it." He warned.

Regina stood. "So what if I did?"

"Why did you do it?"

"She was being disrespectful. I had to put her in her place." Regina said putting her hands on her hips.

Henry just stared at her. "Do you know who you're acting like right now?"

Her face softened as she dropped her hands to her sides. "I said I would never become her." She sighed.

Henry walked over to his daughter and placed his hands on her arms. "Darling, you can fix this. You don't have to be like your mother. Go talk to her."

"I don't know what to say to her. I'm not good with children." She replied sadly.

"This is your chance to start over, a new life with Ally." He said trying to convince her to talk to the girl. "What would you say to your own daughter after having a fight?"

Regina had no idea what she would say. It sounded too good to be true to Regina, raising a daughter of her own. "I highly doubt Allison will want to spend time with me, especially after this morning."

"She told me she wanted to start over with you but she's afraid to make the first move given recent events." He said referring to earlier that morning.

Regina shook her head. "I don't blame her." She looked directly into her father's eyes. "Did she really say she wanted to start over?" She asked hopefully.

"Well from what she told me, she didn't fit in. No one liked her for some reason. She seems lonely Regina and it's not a place a 14 year old should feel." He said trying to get through to Regina that Ally needed her just as much as she needed Ally.

Regina only nodded. "I'll try talking to her. Hopefully this goes well." She kissed her father on the cheek. "Thank you, daddy." She gave him a weak smile before heading to Ally's room.

* * *

Ally decided to skip dinner; she didn't want to face Regina after what happened earlier that morning. She decided to test out her make up since it was the first time she ever wore any, or owned any for that matter. She was sitting by her vanity looking in the mirror trying to decide where to begin. She picked up the mascara and was about to put it on when she heard a voice behind her making her jump. "What are you doing?" The Queen asked.

"Just putting on makeup, is that a problem?" Ally shot back with a slight attitude. She wasn't too thrilled with the Queen at the moment.

"It is if you have no idea what you are doing." Regina countered walking over to her.

"I know what I'm doing." Ally said confidently even though it was a total lie.

"The first thing you were going to do was put on mascara...that's one of the last things you put on. You don't know what you are doing." Regina said again.

Ally put the tube of mascara on the vanity and put her head down. "Fine. I don't know what I doing." She admitted in defeat but didn't dare look at Regina. There was enough room on the vanity seat for both Regina and Ally so Regina decided to take a seat next to her. Ally was surprised and nervous at the same time. She watched as Regina looked through all the makeup and picked the perfect shade of purple eye shadow that had just a hint of sparkle to it to match Ally's dress.

"Lift your head up." Regina instructed. "I'm going to teach you how to do your makeup."

"You don't have to do that." Ally said keeping her head down.

Regina lifted her chin to make eye contact with her. "I will not have you running around the castle looking like a clown." Ally nodded. "No one taught you this?" Regina asked in disbelief as she applied the eye shadow.

Ally didn't want to make Regina mess up so she kept her head as still as she could. "The nuns don't let us wear makeup back in our world. All the girls at school would make fun of me." Ally surprised herself revealing something so personal. She didn't like talking about her situation back home.

"Well no one will make fun of you here. You are going to look so pretty when I'm through with you." Regina said as she continued putting the eye shadow on. She pointed at Ally and gave her a serious look. "But remember, makeup is used only to enhance your beauty. You are already beautiful. Understand?"

Ally smiled. This was the first time Regina said something totally sincere to her.

When Regina was finished doing her makeup and giving her tips she turned Ally to look in the mirror. "Look at that. Beautiful as ever!" Regina exclaimed.

"Wow." Ally whispered as she really looked at herself.

"Do you not like it, dear?" Regina questioned.

"No I love it." She replied still gazing at herself in the mirror.

"Then what's wrong?" Regina asked confused as to why the girl was looking at herself like that.

"This is the first time I actually feel...pretty." Ally admitted.

Regina gave her a sad smile. "You were always pretty; it just takes others a bit longer to see that. You are beautiful; don't let people tell you otherwise."

To Ally's surprise; it really made her feel better. "Thanks Regina...I mean Your Majesty!" She added quickly. "I'm sorry for addressing you like that. I got caught up in the moment. I'm so so sorry." Ally was scared Regina was going to use magic on her again.

Regina chuckled. "No need to apologize, dear." She said waving her off. "You can call me Regina. I'd actually prefer that." Ally nodded. It was nice hearing the Queen laugh, even though it was only a chuckle.

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, Allison." Regina said turning to face her.

Ally did the same. "Am I in trouble?" She asked worriedly. She was used to being in trouble, especially back home.

"No, dear. I wanted to apologize for my behavior early." Regina looked down at her hands. "I shouldn't have used magic on you."

Ally nodded. "And I shouldn't have gotten an attitude with you. You were just trying to get to know me." She looked directly into Regina's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Regina became lost in Ally's honey brown eyes. She could tell the young girl was truly sorry. "Why don't we start over? Clean slate starting now." Regina offered.

Ally looked up to her and smiled. "I'd really like that, Regina."

"Me too." Regina replied with a smile of her own. "Why don't we spend the day together tomorrow getting to know each other?"

"Sounds good. Can't wait." Ally answered back cheerfully.

Regina nodded and stood up. "I also brought your bag back, the one you came here with. All your things are in there." Ally only nodded. "Until tomorrow. Goodnight, Allison."

"Night, Regina." Ally replied and watched her leave. She felt like she was slowly making progress with Regina and was really looking forward to her day with the Queen.

* * *

Ally was awoken by Tara the next morning, still giving her a hard time about waking up so early. She walked into the bathroom still half asleep and surprised herself when she looked in the mirror. She looked like a raccoon or someone had punched her in the face. "Tara, why do I look like a robber?" She yelled running out of the bathroom.

Tara giggled. "You forgot to take off your makeup silly. Here, let me do it." Tara removed all the makeup on her face, making her look like 14year old she was.

"Thanks." Ally replied once she looked like her normal self again.

Tara grabbed her hand. "Come with me. We have to get you changed."

Ally walked back with Tara into her large walk-in closet. It was like a rom of its own. "Tara, do you think the Queen was just being nice to me last night because her dad told her to be?" She asked as Tara was gathering her outfit for the day. She was having second thoughts about Regina. _What if that was all a ruse? What if she really does hate me?_

"I think she was sincere." Tara replied still looking through Ally's wardrobe. "I know for a fact she never showed Snow how to do her makeup."

That made Ally feel a little better but she still felt uneasy about her spending the day with the Queen. She knew Regina still had her temper and she could snap at any moment.

"Here, put these on." Tara instructed handing her a pair of tan pants and a burgundy formal looking coat.

"What's all this?" She asked confused. "I thought girls only wore dresses in this world."

Tara laughed. "You don't expect to ride in a dress, do you?"

"Ride? As in horseback riding?" She asked for confirmation.

Tara set out her riding boots. "Well of course, silly. What else were you thinking?"

"But I don't know how to horseback ride." She said nervously. "I've only been on a pony at a carnival the nuns took us to and that was years ago."

Tara could see how nervous the young girl was. "Miss Ally, calm down." She said placing her hands on Ally's shoulders. "You'll be fine."

"Regina's gonna hate me." Ally replied.

Tara shook her head. "No she won't. You better get dressed quickly so I can do your hair. You're already going to be late to breakfast."

Her response didn't help Ally calm down at all; if anything, it made her even more nervous.

* * *

As soon as Tara finished braiding her long dark brown hair, she ran out of her room and through the corridors trying to get to the dining room as fast as she could. She arrived out of breath and saw Regina sitting at the head of the table. Regina looked angry so she kept her head down as she made her way towards her. Usually, Ally wouldn't back down from authority figures but Regina scared the shit out of her-it might had something to do with the fact that she had magic and ripped out hearts.

"You're late." Regina said in a deep menacing voice when Ally made her way to her side.

"I'm sorry Regina. I'm a little hard to get up in the mornings." Ally replied putting her head down.

"Do not address the Queen so informally." A guard snapped as he grabbed Ally's arm roughly.

"Let her go, Maurice." Regina said firmly. "I told her to call me that."

"My apologies, My Queen." He bowed and went back to his post by the door.

"Take a seat, Allison." Regina told her. Ally complied and rubbed her arm. "I heard you scared yourself this morning."

Ally looked up at the Queen and saw the slight smile on her face. She giggled. "Yea I forgot I had makeup on."

"Perhaps we should have another lesson then." Regina said although she didn't think Ally would agree. She wasn't sure how the girl felt about her. She _was_ trying although she didn't know how to connect to Ally exactly.

All was still rubbing her arm. "Yea, sure." She said half-heartedly. She still wasn't over the fact that she used magic on her. It was an unfair advantage on her part.

Regina knew Ally wasn't too happy with her. She began cutting her breakfast silently.

Ally yawned before she began to eat her breakfast. "Um, Regina?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear. It's unbecoming." Regina lightly scolded. Ally nodded and swallowed her food.

"Now, what is it you wish to ask me?" Regina asked.

She shook her head. "Nevermind."

"Were you going to tell me you don't know how to ride?" Regina guessed.

Ally looked up to her. "How did you know?"

"The maids informed me." She replied picking up her glass and taking a sip of juice.

Ally was surprised. "News certainly travels fast around here."

Regina nodded and put her glass back down. "You'll do just fine on your own. We won't go into a gallop. I'll instruct you."

Ally was still unsure about the whole riding thing but she wasn't going to argue with the Queen. "Okay." She replied and continued to eat her meal.

* * *

After they finished breakfast, they went outside to find horses and guards waiting for them. Regina mounted Rocinante and motioned for Ally to follow her example. Ally tried getting her foot in the stirrup but she wasn't tall enough. One of the guards had to lift her up. She felt humiliated. _I can't even get on the damn horse by myself. This sucks._

"Grab the reins and kick your horse twice. We will start slow." Regina instructed.

Ally did as she was told although she was scared to death. She put on a brave face as the horse took off in a trot.

"That's not good form, Allison. Sit up straight." Regina scolded on her right.

"I'm doing the best I can, Regina. Give me some credit here. It's my first time riding." Ally said a little annoyed.

Regina rolled her eyes. "It's really not that hard, Allison. When I was your age, I was jumping hurdles and galloping away."

"Well I'm not you, Regina." Ally shot back. "And I didn't take riding lessons since I was 3 like you did."

"I was 5 when I started riding." Regina corrected. "If you don't want my help then do your best to keep up." She said before galloping off.

Ally scoffed. _Bitch. Makes me go riding, something I'm not entirely a fan of, and she freakin rides off…whatever, I'm taking me sweet old time._

Half the guards went with Regina while the other half stayed with Ally. Regina was already sitting under a tree by a lake when Ally and her crew rode up. She dismounted and couldn't be happier to have her feet back on the ground. She didn't want to join the Queen but the guards forced her to. She slowly walked over and stood with her arms crossed. "Thanks for taking off…"

"I told you to keep up." Regina shot back as she leaned against a tree.

Ally glared at her. "Whatever." She walked down to the lake and took a seat. She put her hand in the water and began swirling it around. _If this is what being a Princess is like, I'll take being an orphan any day._

Regina watched Ally as she made her way down to the lake. She couldn't believe how stubborn and disobedient this girl was. She summoned a guard over to go fetch her.

He walked down to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Miss, the Queen wants you to join her."

"Well you can tell _the Queen_ that if she wants to talk to me, she can come down here." Ally replied without taking her hand out of the water.

"You shouldn't argue with the Queen if you know what's good for you." He advised. "You know she has magic and she's not afraid to use it."

"Yes, I'm well aware." Ally sighed. "I'm still not going up there." She didn't want the Queen to think she was weak. She liked aggravating the Queen, it was fun for.

"Are you sure you want to make that decision?" He asked once last time.

She stood and faced him. "I'm sure." He was shocked she wasn't doing what the Queen asked. She took off her blazer and handed it to him then jumped into the lake.

Regina saw her jump into the lake and stood up immediately. "What the hell is she doing?!" She yelled to the guard who looked just as shocked as she was. She stormed down to the lake side. Ally was floating on her back with her eyes closed.

"Get out of the water this instant." Regina demanded.

Ally kept her eyes closed and moved her arms back and forth slowly enjoying the water. "Nah, I'm good."

"Allison, get out of the lake right now or else." Regina threatened.

Ally turned her head towards Regina but kept floating on her back. "Or what? You'll choke me like you did before? Go ahead; you'd be doing me a favor." She stared intently into Regina's eyes seeing if she was actually going to do it when she was suddenly pulled under the water. _She's gonna drown me!_

Regina rolled her eyes. "Allison, come to the surface immediately! Stop playing games!" She yelled.

She waited a moment but there was still no Allison. "This isn't funny, Allison. If you don't listen to me there will be consequences!"

"My Queen, do you think something happened?" The guard asked.

A wave of panic washed over her. _What if something did happen to her?_ She didn't know how she felt about this…did she really care if this girl died or not? She's killed hundreds of people, why would this girl make a difference, but she did. "Well don't just stand there! Get in the lake and search for her!" She yelled to the guard before turning back to the other guards watching idly. "All of you! In the water!" She commanded. All the guards rushed into the lake and dove under the water, searching for the little girl.

Ally felt something around her ankles as it pulled her down. She tried fighting it off but it was no use, she was going to drown and she didn't even know what grabbed her. It was becoming harder and harder for her to fight this thing off as she was losing oxygen. She couldn't hold her breath any longer. The last thing she remembered was guards swimming towards her and a blurred Regina on the other side of the water.

* * *

Ally woke up in her bedroom. She blinked a few times to clear away her blurred vision and propped herself up slightly. Tara was just coming into the room when she saw Ally stirring. "Oh thank goodness! I was afraid you would never wake up."

"What happened?" She asked groggily.

"Well the story I heard was that you were sucked under the water by some sea creature." Tara said sitting on her bed. "The guards fought it off and returned you to the surface but you weren't breathing so Regina used magic to save you."

"She saved me?" Ally asked in disbelief. The last thing she said to Regina was to kill her. _I_ _thought she was the one who made me go under the water._

"Yes, thank heavens! I would be so upset if you had died." Tara replied.

"If she saved me, why was I sleeping?" She asked.

"Oh you've been sleeping for two days." Tara waved her off. "Two days!" Ally exclaimed.

Tara nodded. "The Queen wanted to make sure you made it so she used more magic than she had to resulting in you sleeping for a while."

Ally nodded still trying to process it all when Henry, the Queen's father peeked his head in the door. "How is she?" He asked before seeing Ally awake. He walked in with his hands behind his back. "How are you child?"

Ally smiled weakly. "I'm alright. How are you Henry?"

"Just fine. I brought you something." He pulled a honey brown teddy bear that matched the color of her eyes from behind his back and handed it to her. "It's just something to make you feel better."

Ally was beaming with happiness. "Thank you so much, Henry." She said hugging it tight. "I love it!"

Henry gave her a warm smile. "I'm glad I could help a little."

"Henry, do you think you could play chess with me today?" Ally asked him. "I'm not really up for anything else but I don't wanna stay in bed all day."

"Of course, Allison. I'd be happy to." He said cheerfully.

Regina walked through the doors wearing a black dress with an intricate pattern with her hair piled high upon her head. She just wanted to check on Ally but was not expecting to see her awake talking to Tara and her father. "Why has nobody informed me the girl was awake?"

"She just woke up, Your Majesty." Tara said quickly. "I should've told you right away, I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Tara." Ally said. "If Regina really cared she would've sat here like you did waiting for me to wake up." She said glaring at Regina.

Tara gulped as she looked back and forth between Ally and the Queen. She didn't know what to expect from the Queen but whatever it was, she knew it couldn't be good.

Regina glared right back at the young girl. "I have other things to attend to besides sitting at your bedside waiting for you to wake up."

"Well I'm not the one who over used magic and knocked me out for two days." Ally shot back.

"I saved your _life_ with said magic. You should be thanking me." She replied taking a few steps closer to the foot of the bed.

Ally put on a fake smile. "Thank you ever so much for dragging me down to the lake on a horse that I had no idea how to ride and thank you for riding off without me. Thank you for demanding me to talk to you which made me jump into the lake in the first place. Thank you for saving me after I told you to kill me. So to make a long story short, I just wanna thank you Regina, for everything."

Regina gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe this girl had the gall to stand up to her like that. "You better watch your attitude, Allison. You're playing with fire and you will get burned." She warned.

"We'll just see about that, won't we?" Ally said leaning towards Regina with a smirk on her face.

There was silence in the room and Tara could feel the tension. She didn't know what to do and was freaking out inside. Henry's laughter soon filled the room causing all three women to look at him confused. "What's so funny, daddy?" Regina asked.

"You two." He said pointing at Regina and Ally.

"Care to explain?" Ally asked wanting to know what he meant.

"You two are so ungodly stubborn it's hysterical watching you two go back and forth." Henry chuckled. "Almost reminds me of how Regina and her mother used to fight. Although Cora didn't know where to stop."

_I wonder what he meant by that. Did Regina's mother abuse her or something? There is definitely more to Regina than meets the eye. She's so complex. There's a part of me that wants to understand her but the other half just wants nothing to do with her._

"Do not bring her up again, daddy." Regina said angrily. "This is entirely different." She said pointing from herself to Ally. Ally was a little surprised at the way Regina was talking to her father.

"Perhaps, but you two definitely have something going on there." Henry said before walking towards the door. "I'll be back in an hour or so to play chess with you, Allison." He told her before leaving the room.

Regina watched her father exit the room before turning back to Tara and Ally. "Tara, go get Allison something healthy to eat." She instructed. Tara left right away.

Regina took a deep breath before she sat across from Allison on her bed. "Why must you fight with me on every blessed thing, Allison?"

Ally was still holding the bear Henry gave her and crossed her arms. "I think I could ask you the same question."

She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with this girl. _Was this a mistake? Wanting a child? _"Where did you get the bear?" She asked nodding her head towards the bear in her arms.

Ally hugged it tighter. "Your dad gave it to me to make me feel better."

Regina looked down at her lap and smiled. She loved how caring her father was. He only knew this girl a few days and he was already giving her stuffed animals. "I wouldn't expect anything less from him."

Ally smiled. "Me neither. I really like your dad. He's super nice."

Regina nodded in agreement. "I love him. He's my favorite person."

"Better than Daniel?" She asked the words just poured out of her mouth without even thinking about it. _Boy, do I really need to get a filter! _

Regina stood. "Don't speak his name again." She said firmly.

"I realize I shouldn't have said that. Sometimes things just come out of my mouth without thinking. I'm sorry about that one, totally my bad." She said as she pulled the bear in front of her. She was scared Regina was going to use magic on her again.

Regina straightened her dress. "Yes, well…take it easy today. I don't want you doing anything over strenuous."

Ally nodded and wasn't going to fight her on that. "Okay. I'm just gonna play chess with your dad if that's alright?" She asked meekly leaning back on her pillow. The little spat she had with Regina a few minutes earlier took most of her energy.

She couldn't help but notice how cute Ally looked all cuddled up with her teddy bear. Her eyes lingered on the 14 year old for only a moment. "That's fine, dear. Feel better." She left Ally alone and headed back to her own room trying to shake the feeling she had when she saw Ally like that.

"This girl is going to drive me crazy." Regina said to herself as she entered her room.

"You're already crazy, dearie." She saw Rumple leaning against her balcony door.

"What do you want Rumple?" She asked aggravated that he just pops in whenever he wants.

"I want to know why you saved that girl after I was helping you get rid of her?" He asked walking closer to her.

"What are you talking about…Wait, you're the one that sent that sea creature after her?" Regina asked. Rumple laughed creepily. _I should've known._

"I was only helping you, dearie. You don't like her." He said as he began circling her.

"I never said I didn't like her…we just don't get along that well." She replied. "And I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Maybe not, but you will never get revenge on Snow White if you let that girl distract you from your goal. Get your priorities in order, Regina." Rumple said more forcefully. "That girl is nothing to you. Do you really think she can replace the daughter you lost all those years ago?"

"Shut up, Rumple." She snapped.

"Oh, someone has their feathers in a bunch." He smiled which annoyed the shit out of Regina.

"I will get revenge on Snow White if it is the last thing I do." She swore to him.

"Then let's get on with it, dearie." He said before disappearing in a puff of red smoke. _This is going to be a long day._

**Sorry it's like super long but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Any suggestions?**


	8. Chapter 8 The New Kid

Chapter 8: The New Kid

Ally went about the next few days without talking to the Queen and totally avoiding her at all costs. She couldn't understand why every time she talked to her resulted in a fight. She was tired of staying in the castle all the time so she ventured outside, well it was more like sneaking out. She didn't tell anyone where she was going and if they asked, she lied. She just wanted to be alone, away from everyone.

She was taking a quiet walk in a field a half a mile away from the castle, thinking about everything that has happened to her in this world. The sound of horses galloping towards her broke her thoughts. She ran and hid behind some nearby trees so she wouldn't get caught. Once they had passed she let out a sigh.

"Hiding too?" A voice from behind asked her causing her to jump.

"You do not sneak up on people like that!" She said angrily.

"I was hiding here first." He shot back. "So don't go yelling at me for sneaking up on you!"

"Yea, well…you didn't have to scare me." She said crossing her arms.

He walked a little closer to her. "I took pleasure in it." He said with a wicked grin.

She narrowed her eyes on the slightly taller boy. "What's your name and how old are you?"

"I could ask you the same question." He replied.

"Yes, you could but I asked you first. So spill." She commanded.

He chuckled. "The name's Xander. I just turned 15 a week ago."

She took a moment to study his features. His sandy blonde hair, the scar at the edge of his hairline, his green eyes. "Well? Are you going to tell me your name?" He asked breaking her from her thoughts.

She nodded. "It's Ally and I just turned 14."

"What are you doing out here?" He asked her.

She sighed. "Not that it's any of your business…I was out taking a walk. I had to get out of that castle for a little while."

"Wait, you're the girl the Evil Queen kidnapped?" The boy asked shocked.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "She didn't kidnap me, I made a deal to stay with her and don't call her the "Evil" Queen." After everything Regina has done to her she still didn't consider her to be evil and she didn't like when people called her that.

"Why would you make a deal with her?" He asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"It's none of your concern." She said in a harsh tone and waved him off. "How did you even know there was a girl staying with the Queen?"

"Oh, it's all around town." He said shrugging his shoulders. "Is it true she kills one of her prisoners' every day?"

Ally was disgusted with this boy and his stupid questions. "No! Of course not!"

"Oh, well then what does she do?" He asked.

"I dunno. I've only stayed with her for a few days…and we're not the best at having a conversation." She replied truthfully. She had no idea what Regina actually did and now she was curious.

He shook his head. "I still can't believe you made a deal to stay with her…you must be stupid."

She gritted her teeth and glared at him. "You don't know me or why I did what I did. You have no right to judge me! ….You're really annoying."

"And so are you." He said stepping inches away from her face. "I suggest you run back to your castle and drink tea with the Queen."

He started to walk away but she stuck out her leg and tripped him, resulting in him face planting the ground. "What the hell was that for?" He asked after spitting out the dirt in his mouth.

She put her hands on her hips and looked down at him disapprovingly. "I don't like you."

"I don't like you either but you don't see me tripping you." He glared up at her from his spot on the ground.

She scoffed. "That's because you didn't take your move when you had the chance."

"Then I'm taking it now." When she saw him start to get up she began running back to the castle. She had a little bit of a head start but with her short legs and dress on she was never going to be able to outrun him. _Why do girls have to wear dresses? No wonder there's always a damsel in distress in movies, they're always in a dress or heels when then trip. I hate being a girl sometimes!_

She looked behind her and saw that he was gaining on her. When she turned back, around she noticed she was coming upon a hill and stopped. He knew he had her now. She let out a yelp as he tackled her to the ground. They went rolling down the hill, both screaming the entire way down.

Once the hill finally came to an end, they let out groans. Ally lay on her back. "Why the hell did you tackle me?! I stopped for a reason!" She snapped.

He rolled onto his back, breathing heavily. "You're a girl, I thought you got tired."

She sighed in aggravation. "Just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean I can't outrun you. If I had the proper outfit on and knew there was a hill there…I would've left you in the dust."

He scoffed. "Yea, yea, yea…."

She was tired of him degrading her just because she was a girl. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible. She started to pick herself and noticed how dirty her hands were. Her hair was disheveled and she couldn't imagine how her outfit looked. She looked down at her once light blue dress that was now pretty much brown from all the dirt. "Look what you did to my dress!" She shrieked.

He turned his head towards her but remained laying on his back and laughed. "You shouldn't have ran…It's totally your fault."

"If someone is chasing me, I'm going to run." She put her hand son her hips. "And since you were the one chasing me…I'll just tell the Queen and she won't be too happy." She began walking back towards the castle.

He got up quickly, ignoring the pain he felt in his body from his tumble down the hill. "No, you can't tell her! She'll be mad. She'll kill me!" He yelled as he ran in front of her to stop her from walking any further.

"And maybe you deserve just that." She tried walking around him but he wouldn't let her.

"Please!" He begged. "I'm the only one in my family who can work. My mom has to stay home with my little brother and sister and my dad died a few months ago. We need the money."

She was never going to tell the Queen on him, she just wanted to freak him out. After she got what she wanted, she felt bad but she didn't want him to think she was going easy on him. "Fine, but don't tackle me again! Especially down a hill! We are not Jack and Jill!" She said firmly.

"Who are Jack and Jill?" He questioned. He had no idea how they fitted into this situation.

She laughed. "Nevermind."

"So you're not going to tell her?" He asked once more making sure he was safe from the Queen's wrath.

Ally began walking up the hill. "No, I am not going to tell her. Now leave me alone, I still don't like you."

"I don't like you either but I do enjoy bothering you." He said as he walked up the hill beside her. Ally sighed. "So are you like the Queen's adoptive daughter or something?"

Ally couldn't help but laugh. "Hell no! Far from it in fact."

"So what are you to her?" He questioned trying to understand her situation with the Queen.

She really couldn't answer him because she had no idea herself. "Just a girl, I guess."

"What are you going to say when she sees your dress like that?" He asked moving on to another question.

_I can't believe I'm stuck with another idiot who doesn't stop asking questions. What is it with this world? _"The plan is for her not to see me. Now I'm going back to the castle so I suggest you go do whatever it is you do." She said shooing him away.

"Alright, fine." He began walking the opposite direction of the castle. "I hope you don't fall and get your dress all dirty!" He yelled back to her.

"Haha very funny!" She yelled disapprovingly before heading back towards the castle.

She decided to go in through the kitchen entrance so the likelihood of seeing the Queen was very slim. Everyone was busy preparing for the next meal she easily slipped through without being noticed. _Alright, one room down…about 5 to go._ She took her shoes off so she wouldn't make noise and leave dirty footprints. She watched enough Scooby Doo to know how to sneak around. She peaked her head out into the hallway before tip toeing down it. She heard someone coming so she quickly rounded the corner and hid behind a large plant.

"What are you doing, Miss Ally?" She heard Tara's voice ask.

She peaked her head out. "You can see me?"

She nodded. "Of course I can see you. That plant doesn't hide too much." Ally sighed and made her way out from behind the plant. _It worked for Shaggy and Scooby…I guess I should've known it wouldn't work for me._

"What happened to you?!" Tara asked shocked.

"Shh, lower your voice!" Ally hushed. "Don't tell the Queen."

"That's going to be a little hard to do, Miss Ally." Tara replied.

Ally crossed her arms. "You just don't tell her. Why is that so hard?"

Tara's eyes shifted to behind Ally. She noticed and turned around seeing the Queen standing there with her hands on her hips. "Oh Regina, hi…." Ally said giving her a weak smile.

"That was a perfectly good dress Allison, what the hell were you doing?" Regina asked harshly.

"It's a long story…" Ally said waving her off.

"Well go get cleaned off because I'd like to hear it." She replied sternly before proceeding down the hall.

It wasn't a long story; she just didn't feel like explaining it to the Queen. Ally sighed. "Just what I need right now…"

Tara began pushing her along. "Come on, you heard the Queen."

* * *

"Regina, go easy on the child…she was just having fun." Henry reminded his daughter.

"But daddy, she could've gotten hurt. She didn't tell anyone where she was going. What if something happened to her?" Regina argued.

"You were her age once, Regina. You did the exact same thing quite a few times." Henry replied trying to get Regina to understand.

"Yes, and mother punished me brutally for it." Regina said bitterly.

"So you know how it feels to be in her shoes…" Henry let his daughter think about that before he continued. "Just be reasonable, Regina. I know you are only thinking of the child's safety but you have to remember she isn't from this world."

Regina listened intently to what her father had to say. He didn't speak much, but he always had something smart to say when he did. She knew her father was a wise man and she liked receiving his advice. "Thank you, daddy. I'll go easy on her." She kissed his cheek and walked out of his room towards her own to wait for Allison.

* * *

Once Ally was cleaned up and in a new violet colored dress, she walked herself down to the Queen's bed chambers. She knew there would be another fight and she was not looking forward to it. She knocked on the door and they opened automatically. She assumed that was Regina's way of telling her to come in so she did and they closed behind her.

Regina made her way from the balcony to the middle of the room with her hands on her hips. "Let's hear it."

"Well…" She looked down at her feet. She didn't know what to exactly tell Regina because she didn't want to rat the boy out. She knew she was going to be in trouble either way. "I really needed to get out of the castle. I was tired of feeling like a prisoner. I needed space, time to clear my head so I went outside and took a walk."

She looked up to see Regina's pissed off face but she continued anyway. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and I fell down a hill…which is why my dress was all dirty and my hair was a mess."

"Do you know how dangerous that was, Allison?!" Regina yelled. "Something far worse could've happened to you then falling down a hill. You could've been killed. You don't know this world, Allison, or its dangers."

Ally put her head down realizing Regina was right. She was just going to let her yell because she knew she didn't have an argument to fight, let alone win. "I'm sorry."

Regina sighed. "Look Allison, I'm sorry you felt like a prisoner again. You can explore the grounds but you have to take two guards with you at all times."

Ally was shocked Regina was compromising without even being asked. She was going to take whatever she could get. "Okay, I will."

"And please don't be running around in your dresses." Regina reminded her.

Ally smiled. "I won't."

Regina nodded and turned around assuming their conversation was over. "Is that it?" Ally asked in surprise.

"What else did you want, dear?" Regina replied slightly turning around.

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "I just thought you were really going to yell and punish me or something."

Regina shook her head. "I realize you can't stay in the castle all the time. You are still just a child and want to play but I want to make sure you are safe while doing it. Is that understood?"

Ally nodded. "Yes, Regina."

"Good. Now run along and play." Regina shooed her away before walking back towards her balcony.

Ally ran over and plopped on Regina's bed, resting her cheeks in her hands. "But there's nothing to do. Can I go down to a local village and play with those kids?"

"No. Absolutely not. I don't want you too far from me." Regina replied adamantly.

"Why not?" Ally whined. "I thought you would want me outta the castle so I wouldn't bother you."

"I can't protect you if you're not close by." The Queen answered walking closer to the bed.

Ally tilted her head to one side and thought about it. _So the Queen does care for me? Maybe? Or is there something she's not telling me? Should I be worried? I'll ask her later…_"Okay…so then can _you_ play with me?"

Regina arched her eyebrows. "Play with you?" She asked as if she never heard those words before.

"Yea, we can try hanging out again…ya know if you're not busy." Ally suggested. She did want to get to know the Queen, Regina just made it really difficult to do that.

This would be Regina's second chance at having some sort of relationship with the girl, regardless of what Rumple said. She was going to try to make both work in her favor. "What did you want to do?"

Ally sat up. "Can I see your wardrobe? It's freaking awesome. You rock every outfit you wear!"

Regina didn't know what 'rock' meant but she assumed it was a good thing. "Easy enough." Ally ran over to the Queen's side, eager to see her amazing wardrobe. "Who makes your outfits?"

"I tell the maids what I want and they make them." Regina replied walking towards her huge walk-in closet.

"So can I ask them for clothes I want?" Ally asked looking up at the Queen with hopeful eyes. She wanted something that resembled the Queen's wardrobe because she was so fascinated by it.

"Don't be asking for anything like mine. You are far too young to be wearing my kind of outfits." Regina replied a little too harshly then she meant it to be. She saw Ally put her head down. "But you can request some things that are appropriate for your age…with my approval that is."

Ally nodded. "Fair enough."

Regina opened the doors to her massive closet. Ally looked around in amazement. She didn't know where to look first. There were dark dresses, tight dresses, huge dresses, seductive dress, cleavage dresses…any dress you could think of was in this closet, along with many leather and velvet materials. Ally ran her fingers over certain dresses, paying attention to detail and the intricate designs. She was in her own little world; it was like Regina didn't exist…only her clothes did.

Regina decided to sit back and watch the young girl run from dress to dress without saying a word and shriek with happiness. _I wonder if this is what it would be like if I had my little girl. _She sighed knowing that dream was long gone. She loved watching Ally freak out every time she saw a new dress; it gave her some hope that maybe life with Ally would be good for her and for the girl.

"Regina!" Ally called breaking the Queen from her thoughts.

"What is it, dear?" She questioned folding her hands on her lap.

Ally ran over to her holding a blue velvet dress that was open in the back. "Can I try this one on?!" She asked eagerly.

Regina arched her eyebrows. "You want to play dress up?"

Ally scrunched her face." Yea, kinda…" She admitted. "But if you don't want me in your clothes I totally get it…"

Regina smiled. "This one isn't revealing so go ahead, dear. It will be big on you though."

"I don't care! I get to where the Queen's clothes!" She couldn't contain her excitement. "This is so cool!" She said running further into the closet to change.

Regina's heart fluttered a little bit. She loved seeing Ally excited, it made her happy, something she hasn't felt in a long time. It was almost like she forgot what it felt like to be happy. Ally came back out wearing the dress. She walked in front of the Queen as the dress was dragging behind her.

"So…what do you think?" Ally asked as she spun around for her to see then striking a pose.

Regina smiled. "I think if it were your size, you would look adorable."

"Yea, I don't fill it out as much as you do…I'm lacking in some areas." She said looking down at her small chest.

Regina stood and chuckled. "You'll get there eventually, dear. Don't worry about that; you're still young."

Ally nodded. "I hope so!"

Ally tried on a few more dresses the Queen deemed appropriate. She felt so powerful in Regina's outfits. _No wonder she walks around like she's hot shit. She definitely owns the place when she's wearing these clothes._

After about an hour with the Queen, Regina told her she had some business to take care of so she decided she would go eat dinner. She didn't want to bother Tara or any of the other maids so she walked herself down to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Oh, hello Miss Allison." Monica, one of the chefs greeted her. "Care for some soup?"

Ally took a seat on one of the kitchen stools. "That would be great, thanks!"

While Ally waited for Monica to bring over her soup, she noticed a boy coming in through the door with heavy boxes in his hands. She couldn't see his face, only heard his voice. "Monica, where do you want me to put these?" _Why does his voice sound familiar? Wait…_

"Just put them over there, Xander. Thanks." Monica replied pointing to the corner of the room. He put them down with a grunt and stood up, not realizing Ally was also in the room. He seemed just as shocked as she was. He stood frozen, not knowing what to say. He was not expecting her to be there.

"Well don't just stand there, boy." Monica scolded. "Greet the little lady."

He nodded. "Sorry. Good evening, miss." He bowed towards her.

Ally had a feeling he didn't want to let Monica know that they had met before. She also thought this whole situation was weird. "You don't have to do that." She said referring to the bowing.

"He must." Monica insisted. "You are staying with the Queen. You are to be respected and treated as any other royal would."

Ally solemnly nodded. "Forgive me, I must be going." He said to Monica before turning back towards Ally. "Goodnight, miss."

"Night." She said and watched him leave. Monica placed the soup in front of her and gave her a spoon. "Hope you like it." Monica said smiling.

Ally smiled back. "I'm sure I will." She began to eat her soup as Monica became preoccupied with other things. It wasn't until she came back in the kitchen that Ally decided to ask her a question. "Monica, who was that boy? The one who came in with those boxes?"

"Oh, that was Alexander, Xander for short. He picks up the supplies we need from the local villages. He's about your age." She replied. "The Queen just recruited him this evening."

Ally only nodded. _Did the Queen know something? Did she know what happened earlier today? She couldn't, could she? This must be a test of some sorts…She knows I'm lying and wants to see how long it will take for me to tell the truth._ She shook her head. _I'm slowly going insane…_

"Monica, what time will he be here tomorrow?" She asked the chef.

"Early in the morning, miss. Why do you ask?" Monica asked her while she stirred the soup in the pot.

"I was just wondering…I just have a question for him is all…" She said before putting a spoonful of soup into her mouth. _Tomorrow should be interesting._

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's around finals and I have a shit ton of assignments. I don't know when I will update next but sometime over Thanksgiving. If you like when Regina and Ally fight don't worry, there will be plenty of that...Let me know what you think…and thanks for the reviews, I love reading them!**


	9. Chapter 9 Curiosity

Chapter 9: Curiosity

Ally was up early the next morning. She wanted to be outside waiting for Xander when he arrived with the things from the village. She sat under a tree with her sketch book in the garden drawing the castle while she waited. Her two "bodyguards" were watching her from a few yards away. They weren't paying too much attention to her. It took her close to an hour to finish sketching the entire castle and he still wasn't there so she decided to draw something else. She spotted Henry reading under the Queen's infamous apple tree and decided it would be perfect to draw.

She got the basic picture down when she saw Xander heading up the hill towards the kitchens. She didn't want the guards to see her talking to him so she made sure they weren't looking. She laid her sketchbook by the tree and took off running in his direction. She waited until he came back out of the kitchen to confront him. When he exited the door she popped out and scared him. "What the hell!" He screamed.

She laughed. "That was for scaring me yesterday."

He was not happy. "Yea, well…looks like we're even." He started walking back down the hill.

"Wait!" She said running up beside him. "Why are you even here?"

He kept on walking as he answered her. "The Queen was looking for a boy my age to bring materials from the village to the palace and I volunteered."

"Why would you do that? I thought you were scared of the Queen." Ally asked.

He glared at her. "I'm not scared of the Queen."

"Sounded like you were yesterday." She smiled knowing he was just trying to be all manly.

"Well I'm not." He said firmly. "And I did it because we need the money."

"It had nothing to do with seeing me again?" She asked just making sure she made herself clear yesterday that she didn't want to see him again.

He made a disgusted face. "No, of course not. I don't like you."

She nodded. "Good. Feelings mutual."

He stopped walking and turned towards her. "Don't you have some Princess duties to attend to?" He sounded aggravated.

She put her hands on her hips. "I am not a princess. I don't have to be in at a certain time to drink tea."

He put his hands up in self-defense. "Well excuse me." He turned back towards the hill and began walking.

"Why did you pretend not to know me last night?" She asked remaining still.

He turned back around. "We don't want to give _anyone _the impression we know each other."

"No, we wouldn't want _that_…" She said shaking her head.

"Exactly so let's continue pretending we don't know each other."

"We just know each other's names." Ally rolled her eyes. "It's not like we're hiding anything."

* * *

The guards looked over to the tree to check on Ally but she wasn't there.

"You lost her!" Thantos yelled slapping Sergio in the arm.

"You're the one who shoulda kept a better eye on her!" He yelled back.

"We need to find her or the Queen will kill us!" Thantos argued.

"Where do you think she went?" Sergio asked.

Thantos shrugged his shoulders. "Where would a 14 year old girl wonder off to?"

"Do I look like a 14 year old girl to you?" Sergio asked annoyed that Thantos would think he knew the answer to his question.

"You sure do act like one…" Thantos replied. Before Sergio could come back with a smart remark, they heard people somewhat shouting on the hillside. They ran over and saw Ally yelling at a young boy.

Xander saw the guards approaching and nodded in their direction making Ally turn around to see. "You should go." Ally told him so he wouldn't get in trouble. He left in a hurry as the guards quickly approached her.

"Miss, you can't be running off like that. You know the Queen's orders." Thantos scolded.

"Sorry, I had to ask the boy something." She offered as an excuse.

"We heard shouting. Did he say something inappropriate to you?" Sergio asked knowing how boys Xander's age were like.

She shook her head. "No, just a little misunderstanding."

Thantos nodded. "Very well. We should be heading back inside."

Ally crinkled her nose and pouted. "But I didn't finish my drawings." She objected. "I don't wanna go back in just yet."

They couldn't tell her to do something unless it was under the Queen's specific orders. She walked back to her tree and resumed drawing. They resumed their post a few feet away but kept a better eye on her this time. She sketched a few more things she thought were beautiful around the castle before the gentle breeze blew through her hair, relaxing her to sleep, her sketchpad and pencil still in her hands.

The guards didn't wake her when the Queen sent for her, only picked her sleeping form up and carried her to the Queens quarters. "Is she alright?" The Queen asked when she saw them carrying her into the room.

Thantos, the guard holding her nodded as he heard her concern for the child. "She's only sleeping, my Queen."

"I heard she was up very early which is unusual for her." The Queen said as a reason why Ally was sleeping.

"She also had this with her." Sergio said holding the sketch pad out for the Queen. Regina took it from him and flipped through the pages. Her eyes were glued to the sketches on the paper. She didn't realize how talented this young girl was.

"My Queen?" Thantos asked noticing Regina's face as she gazed upon the drawings.

"Hmm" She hummed still looking at the sketches.

"What should we do with the girl?" He asked.

"Lay her gently on my day bed, please. Thank you, Thantos." He nodded and did as he was told. Regina looked at the drawings for a half hour or so. She couldn't stop staring at them. She loved the one of her apple tree and her father sitting on the wall surrounding it reading a book. She also noticed some drawings that weren't from this world. _Must be her world. _She heard Ally begin to stir and made her way over to sit beside her. "Allison, wake up dear." Regina said softly, gently stroking her hand.

"Hmm" Ally hummed keeping her eyes shut.

"Why were you up so early, dear? It's very unlike you." Regina asked her not realizing she was still lightly stroking Ally's arm.

"I wanted to draw." She responded groggily as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. _I know it's not the whole truth but she doesn't need to know about Xander._

"I see." Regina replied.

_Thank goodness she believed me. _"I thought I was outside." Ally said when she saw she was inside.

"You were, but I wanted to talk to you so the guards brought you to me but you were sleeping." Regina explained. "You're drawings are beautiful, dear. Why didn't you tell me you had such talent?"

"You're the first person who told me my drawings were anything but horrible." Ally admitted. Regina gave her a weak smile. "Well it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks as long as you think you're good."

Ally smiled back. She didn't know if this was supposed to make her feel better or the Queen herself._ It would explain why everything she did, she thought was okay. _"What did you want to talk to me about?" Ally asked as she propped herself up slightly.

The Queen stood up. "Your schooling."

"You're seriously gonna make me go to school?" She asked in disbelief slightly raising her voice and sitting straight up.

"Yes, did you think this land would be all fun and games?" Regina asked with a smirk in her face.

Ally lowered herself back down and looked at her hands. "Yea...kinda."

"You need to be properly educated." Regina informed her.

"I already know stuff...like History, English, Science, Math..." Ally argued.

"But you know nothing of this world..." Regina countered.

Ally pondered what she said for a moment. "No I suppose I don't."

"Your lesson will begin in 1 hour in the library...and make sure you are on time. I absolutely hate tardiness."

"You're gonna teach me?" Ally asked arching her eyebrows.

"No, don't be silly. I have more important things to attend to than to educate you." She scoffed.

"Well excuse me." Ally mumbled.

"You will have a tutor of course. Now run along." The Queen shooed her out of the room.

* * *

Ally was walking back to her room. The Queen had kept her drawings, which she wasn't too happy about. She couldn't understand how the Queen could be so nice one minute and then a total bitch the next. Ally thought she was either bipolar or keeping her walls up to not appear weak.

She walked into her room and saw a bunch of things on her desk. She walked over and saw that there were books for her lessons. She picked one up and read the title out loud, '_How to dress for a royal occasion_.' She picked up another. '_Etiquette in a royal setting'_..."what the hell, it's all about manners and shit." She said out loud to herself.

"Those are not appropriate words for a girl your age to be using." Tara said from behind her.

"Sorry, I'm just a little annoyed with the Queen right now." Ally admitted placing the books back on the desk.

"Won't be the last time..." Tara said.

"I'm in a whole new land, where fairytale characters are real and magic is possible...and I'm stuck learning manners." Ally complained.

"This land isn't everything it's cracked up to be" Tara said. "Magic is a very dangerous thing."

"Only if someone evil is using said magic..." Ally countered. _First Henry said something weird about magic and now Tara, maybe I should do a little digging into magic._

Tara shook her head. "Not entirely true, but we shouldn't be talking about this."

"Why not?" Ally asked confused, no one else was in the room.

"Because the Queen may be watching..." She whispered in her ear.

Ally didn't know what she meant at first but then she remembered the Queen's magic mirror. Ally nodded and stopped talking about the subject of magic.

"Did you see what else the Queen supplied you with?" Tara asked nodding towards her desk once more.

Ally looked behind her and saw multiple sketch pads and a numerous amount of pencils and other art supplies she may need. Ally was not expecting that. "Wow." She said in amazement as she looked through her new art supplies.

"The Queen can be quite generous." Tara said.

Ally nodded. "She's such a mystery. I can't understand her..."

"Well maybe if you would stop being rude to her, she will open herself up to you a little more." Tara suggested.

"I'm not rude to her, she's rude to me!" Ally shot back.

Tara gave her a serious look. "Miss Ally..."

Ally put her hands up in defense. "Alright, maybe I could control my anger a little better when I'm around her."

Tara nodded. "Good. I'm sure she'll see that you're trying."

"But she needs to try too." Ally argued.

"I'm sure she will when she sees you trying." Tara reassured her though it didn't convince Ally at all.

Ally nodded and looked back down at her art supplies. "I wish I could start drawing right away."

Tara pushed her away from the desk. "Well now is not the time." She picked up the books and handed them to Ally, sending her to the library for her lesson with her tutor.

* * *

Ally was bored to death with the tutor, learning about manners and such. She couldn't wait until her lesson was over. She got yelled at a few times for dozing off; for some reason couldn't shake the feeling of being tired. Most of the time though she was thinking about her conversation with Tara. She wanted to learn more about magic, _I mean when am I ever gonna get the chance to study magic again._ She was in a mysterious world and the Queen _did _say that she should learn things about this world.

Once her lesson was over, she took a look around the library for books on magic but of course she couldn't find anything. She figured Regina locked the magic books away somewhere. She would have to do some detective work to find them which she looked forward to.

The first place she thought to look would be Regina's room which would be rather difficult without getting caught. She asked one of the maids where the Queen was and she told her that Regina went out for the evening but didn't know where or when she would be back.

Ally saw this as a golden opportunity to search Regina's room. She peaked her head around the corridor and to her surprise; there were no guards in the hall by the Queens' room. She quietly made her way down the hall and opened and closed her bedroom door as quickly as she could. She took a deep breath once she was alone inside. She turned around to the empty room looking for a place to begin.

She began searching through her vanity though she doubted it was there, she just wanted to make sure. She moved to her enormous closet that took her a little over an hour to search through, especially because she got distracted a few times. The only other place she could think of was under the mattress and with her luck; she found a silver book that had an intricate design on it with a red heart in the middle. She opened it to find exactly what she had been looking for. _Spells._

She didn't get a chance to look through it anymore because she heard the Queen's voice from outside the door talking to one of the guards. She quickly shoved the book back under the mattress and dove under the bed just as Regina entered her room.

"Mirror." Regina hissed. Ally could see the face in the mirror appear from under the bed.

"What can I do for you, my Queen?" The mirror asked.

"Show me Snow White." She demanded. An image of Snow and Charming speared in the mirror.

"Typical." Regina rolled her eyes as Snow and Charming were passionately kissing one another. "I can't wait to cast this curse."

_Curse? She's going to cast a curse on Snow and Charming? This isn't good. _Ally was panicking from under the bed not just about the Queen's curse but how she was going to get out of Regina's room without being caught.

There was a knock on the door that interrupted Ally's thoughts. The Queen opened the doors revealing one of the maids. "We can't seem to find her, My Queen."

"What do you mean, 'You can't find her'?" Regina snapped. "How hard is it to keep an eye on a 14 year old?"

"She was in her room the last time anyone has seen her." The maid explained trying not to tremble under the Queen's glare. "And that was almost three hours ago."

"Well she couldn't have gotten far. Keep searching and bring her to me as soon as you find her." Regina replied harshly then slamming the door.

Ally gulped. Regina was mad and she still had the problem of escaping without the Queen seeing her. Regina sat at her vanity and redid her makeup before heading back into her closet. _This is my only chance to get out of here._ She quietly crawled out from under the bed and headed for the door. She grabbed the door knob and began opening the door when she heard her name in a husky voice coming from behind her. "Allison…." Regina said.

Ally shut her eyes. _Shit! _She shut the door and turned around with a smile on her face. "I heard you wanted to speak with me…"

Regina put her hands on her hips. "I heard you weren't paying attention during your lessons today."

Ally sighed with relief but Regina saw it as a sigh of frustration. "I was bored to death, Regina. Manners are not an exciting topic to learn about." She said truthfully.

"Regardless of the subject matter you should be paying attention." Regina said firmly. "I don't want any more of this dozing off during your lessons. Have I made myself clear?" She asked in a raised voice.

Ally was becoming angry with Regina, first with some stupid curse she was going to cast on Snow and now with the way she was yelling at her over some stupid lessons. "Whatever Regina." She replied rolling her eyes before turning to leave.

Regina was not in the mood to take any attitude from Ally. She grabbed her arm and pulled her towards her. "You better knock that attitude off, Allison. You won't like the repercussions that follow." Regina warned her.

Ally glared at her with dark, cold eyes. She wanted to scream at Regina about the curse but she didn't have enough information about it so she put on her fake smile. "Of course, Your Majesty."

Regina knew Ally was pissed; she used to do the same thing with Cora. She let go of her arm and Ally ran out the door. She hated that she barely had any patience with the young girl. She _was_ trying but she didn't know it would be this difficult to let Ally into her life completely while still battling her feelings of loss and betrayal.

* * *

Ally ran straight to her room and slammed the door behind her making it echo through the long halls. She plopped on her bed and screamed into her pillow; she was tired of the way Regina treated her. She grabbed the teddy bear Henry had given her and hugged it tight. _I wanna go home…I need to find my way home._ She was about to cry when there was a knock at her door. She didn't care who it was, she didn't want to be bothered. "Go away!" She yelled.

She heard the door open and saw Henry's head pop in. "I heard what happened and I just wanted to check in on you."

"Thanks Henry, I'm okay." She replied even though it wasn't the truth.

He came in and shut the door behind him. "I don't think you are, Allison." He said noticing how tightly she clung to her teddy bear.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what to do." He sat in the bed next to her. "Every time I think Regina and I are on good terms, she gets mad at me. I just can't win with her." She said sighing.

"Give her some time to adjust to having you here. It's only been two weeks." Henry replied patting her shoulder.

"That's it?" She asked in disbelief. "Feels like a lifetime."

"Usually she would kill someone who talked back to her like you do but for some reason she just yells at you."

Ally looked over at him with a confused look on her face. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"It should. "He replied with a smile. "It means she likes you."

"She threatens me because she likes me?" She asked not believing him. He nodded. "I wonder how she acts towards the people she loves then…"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Look Allison, she_ is_ trying…she's just not used to letting anyone in."

She put her head down. "She makes me want to go back home…and you know I hated it there." She admitted.

He sighed. "Please give her another chance, Allison."

She didn't answer him just kept looking at the bear in her hands. _If I'm giving her another chance she better not this shit off about cursing people and keeping secrets._

"Henry, do you know anything about a curse Regina plans to enact?" She asked him. She was dying to know more information.

He was startled by the question but he didn't know that she was planning to enact a curse. "Sorry my dear, I don't." She believed him. "How do you know she is planning a curse?"

She bit her lip, something she did when she was nervous. "I um…kinda overheard her." She didn't know what else to say besides the truth. For some reason, she found it very difficult to lie to Henry. "Please don't tell her I know anything!" She begged.

"I won't. It will be our secret." He assured her. She relaxed at his words. "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

"I'd love too." She smiled up at him before grabbing his hand and strolling out of her room.

She had a lot to do in the next coming days: find out more about the curse, learn more about magic and steer clear of Regina's radar.

**I got this chapter up quicker than I anticipated so I hope you enjoyed. Please review, I love hearing your feedback and I always take things into consideration. Thanks for the reviews btw.**


	10. Chapter 10 Gathering Information

Chapter 10: Gathering Information

Ally was not in the mood to take those stupid lessons the Queen wanted her to take. She decided to skip her lesson that day and do more productive things, like searching for more magic books and learning about this so called 'curse' Regina was planning to enact. She knew Regina would be angry with her but at this point, she really didn't care.

She knew Regina had to have more magic books somewhere. She also knew that Regina probably hid them in a secret room somewhere in the castle. _Everyone castles gotta have a secret room. _She walked up and down the halls running her hand along the walls searching for anything useful. She would have to stop when guards walked through the halls. She was growing tired so she decided to head back to her room.

She sat at her vanity and played with her hair and makeup. Once her hair was done in a nice braid, she moved on to makeup. She accidently dropped the tube of mascara which rolled under vanity. She crawled under to grab it when she noticed a design in the baseboard of the wall that didn't quite match the others. There was what seemed to be a button indent on the baseboard. She thought this was totally bizarre. _Why would the palace have this one thing out of place? Everything else seemed perfect._

She pushed it to see if it was a button and once she did, a secret little compartment opened up right in from of her. _No fuckin way!_ She couldn't believe there was one right in her very own room. She crawled through, not knowing where this would take her. It was hard for her to see because of the lack of light coming through the hole from her room. She kept crawling until she came to another little door. She pushed it open and peeked her head through revealing a little room full of books and mirrors but no windows yet it emanated its own light. _Must be some spell. _She made her way out and ran over to the closest book. She instantly knew it was a spell book. _I did it!_

She read through a lot of the magic books and tried doing some magic on her own but nothing happened; she was highly disappointed. She heard Tara calling her name so she figured she had been up there far too long. She grabbed the book she was reading and crawled back through the little hole from which she came. She made sure Tara wasn't in the room when she stepped through the little door and shut it behind her by pressing the button once more.

She stood up and dusted her dress off. "Where have you been?!" Tara exclaimed emerging from the bathroom.

Ally quickly hid the book behind her back. "Oh I was just…under my bed." She lied. She knew it wasn't a good one but she had no idea what else to say.

"Under the bed?" Tara questioned confused.

"Yes." She said more confidently. "I dropped something and it rolled under there."

"Then why didn't you come out the first seven times I called you?"

"I didn't feel like it." Ally shrugged her shoulders.

Tara grunted. "You have to stop disappearing without telling anyone where you are."

"I was in my room…It's not like I was roaming around outside." Ally responded getting all defensive.

"I'm just letting you know so you won't get into too much trouble with the Queen." Tara answered her nicely.

"Sorry Tara. I know you're only following the rules. I also know I am not making your job all that easy."

"You can say that again…" Tara said playfully as she rolled her eyes.

Ally smiled. "Did you need me for something?"

"I just needed to locate you. No one has seen you for a very long time." Tara explained.

"Okay, then I'm gonna go outside for a little while." She said before running off without letting Tara see the book in her hand. "Remember, you need to guards! And don't run in your dress!" Tara yelled although it was no use.

* * *

She sat at the top of the hill waiting for Xander to show up. He was the only one she could really talk to about this stuff and was hoping he knew something about magic. She was reading the book when something was blocking the sunlight. She looked up to see Xander standing in front of her.

"Are you stalking me or something?" Xander asked her.

She glared at him. "No. I just wanted to see if you knew anything about magic…."

"Why would I know anything about magic?" He said uninterested.

"I don't know, I was sorta hoping." She looked back down at the book. "If you aren't going to help me then move. You're blocking the light."

He sat down beside her. "What did you need help with?"

"I wanted to learn how to do magic…I thought it would be cool." She explained.

He shook his head. "Not just anyone can do magic. It takes a special person."

She nodded trying to understand. "Do you know anything about a curse?"

"So you heard the rumors too?" He asked stretching out his legs.

"What rumors?" She inquired.

"About the Queen's impending curse." She looked at him confused. "It's supposed to take away everyone's happy endings. She announced it at Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding."

Her jaw dropped. "She can't possibly do that! That's horrible!"

"Yea, I know…hopefully it's just a rumor."

She wasn't going to tell him she overheard the Queen herself talking about said curse. She didn't have the stomach to face the Queen and frankly she didn't want to either.

"What are you doing right now?" She asked him.

"Well I was just on my way up to get the list from Monica for the things she needs from the village tomorrow." He told her as he stood.

She also stood looking up to him. "I'm coming back to the village with you." She declared.

"No." He said firmly.

"Why not?" She questioned.

"Because I am not being responsible for you and I certainly do not want to spend any time with you if I don't have to." He began walking towards the kitchen. "And how would you slip away from your guards anyhow?"

She followed him. "Don't worry about that. It'll work." She said confidently.

He stopped abruptly and turned to her. "You're not going to stop bothering me until I say yes, are you?"

"Oh I don't care if you say yes, I'm coming either way." She smirked.

"Why do you want to come anyway?"

"I want to see if anyone in the village knows anything about magic." She told him.

He sighed and went to retrieve the list from Monica. "Alright, if you get in trouble…don 't be blaming me."

"No, of course not…" She said rolling her eyes. She told the guards the she wanted to go back in the castle and take a nap. She slipped away from them and went back outside to join Xander at the top of the hill. He was not happy when he saw her emerge from the castle.

"Okay so who's the likeliest person in the village to know anything about magic?" She asked him once they entered the village.

He thought about it for a moment. "I would think the mage would know the most in town. He could probably help you."

"A mage?" She questioned. "Where can I find him?"

He sighed. "I'll take you to him."

She smiled triumphantly as she followed behind him. He led her to a house in the middle of town. "Now, he isn't that friendly and he's not very social…so good luck."

She turned her head slowly in his direction and glared at him. "You're not coming with me?"

"No." He replied as if she should've already known the answer. "If you think I'm going in there, you're crazy."

"Fine." She said aggravated. "Stay out here and be the baby that you are." She stormed over to the front door and knocked.

He did not like being called a baby and wanted to prove he wasn't. He ran over to her just as she was knocking. A small smile formed at her lips. _I knew that would get him to come with me._

A tall man opened the door. She couldn't really make out his features it was so dark. "What do you want?" He said in a deep annoyed voice.

Ally wasn't showing her fear but Xander was having a tougher time. "I was hoping you could teach me about magic."

He stared at her for a moment before slamming the door in their faces. "Well that was rude."

"Okay, time to take you back." Xander said all too happily as he began to walk away.

Ally wasn't going to give up that easily. She began banging on the door again. Xander turned around, stunned at the girl's stupidity and stubbornness. "What do you think you're doing?!" He hissed.

"What does it look like I'm doing?! I'm getting the answers I came for!" She shot back. The door opened again revealing the same man as before. "I told you to go away!" He growled.

"I'm not playing nice anymore." Ally said menacingly, something Xander had yet to see. "Tell me what you know about magic, right now!"

"What are you doing?" Xander whispered in her ear sounding a little scared. She just ignored him.

The mage was fairly impressed and allowed them entry into his home. Xander cautionlly followed her in and took a seat next to her at the table. "You are freakin crazy!" He whisper-yelled at her.

"And you're just a scardy cat, now man up!" She whisper-yelled back before the mage took a seat across from them.

"What do you want to know?" The mage asked them with his hand folded on the table.

Ally laid the book out on the table for him. "I want to know about magic. Everything you know."

"I can't tell you everything in one day. Be more specific. You have one shot at this." He told her.

_I have to take what I can get._ She sighed. "Fine. Can you tell me what you know about this curse the Queen plans to enact?"

"Ahh, the dark curse." He said realizing what curse she was talking about.

"Well I would think any curse would be dark…it's a freakin curse for goodness sake." She said.

"But this isn't just any curse." He wagged his finger at her. "This curse will rip everyone from this land, tear away their happy endings, and trap them in a small town where they don't remember anything from this world or their lives before the curse." He explained.

Both kids eyes grew wide. "You have got to be kidding me." Xander exclaimed.

Ally was deeply saddened. _I didn't know she was hurting this bad…enough to cast a curse to this magnitude._

"Is there any way to stop her?" Xander asked eagerly. "Something that would change her mind?"

The mage nodded toward Ally. "She could."

Xander looked over at her surprised. Ally was just as stunned. "Me?" She questioned not believing what she was hearing.

"My powers tell me that the Queen is looking to fill a void in her heart." He closed his eyes to concentrate harder. "A child…She lost a child."

Ally and Xander looked confused. "I didn't know the Queen had a child." Ally said.

The mage nodded. "It was years ago. No one knows the exact circumstances but somehow she had lost the baby. She grieved for quite some time." Ally lowered her head. "She needs someone to fill that void."

"So you think Ally is the one to fill the role of the child she lost?" Xander asked the mage.

He nodded. "Indeed, I do." Ally looked back up to him.

"How am I supposed to replace a child she lost?" Ally asked him for his advice.

"Just be a kid she can love." The mage told her.

"I'm a pretty hard kid to love…"

"Things aren't going well in the palace are they?" The mage asked her.

She shook her head. "No, we are constantly fighting. Sometimes we're civil but I feel like we're fighting more than anything…I have a feeling we are going to have a fight as soon as I get beck."

The mage nodded seeing the problem. "I need you to try to get along with the Queen. You are our only hope at stopping her from enacting the curse."

She sighed. "No pressure or anything…"

"The Queen doesn't take to people very well." Xander tried explaining to the mage.

"Then she will have a challenge on her hands." The mage countered. "I suggest you work your own magic fast, young lady.

Ally gulped and stood. "I'll do my best. Thanks for the info." She said before slowly walking out of the mage's house.

"Are you sure this is the only way?" Xander double checked with the mage before leaving.

"The only way." He confirmed. Xander nodded and joined Ally sitting on the side of the curb.

"You okay?" He questioned sitting beside her.

She took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "I think so. I just don't know how I'm supposed to do this."

Xander looked down at the ground. He didn't have the answer for her but he did want her to feel better. "Hey, why don't you stick around the village for a little bit. Some of the local kids are about to play a game of hide and seek."

She looked at him skeptically. "Hide and seek? How old are we, 5?"

"Did you have something better?"

She wanted to play softball so bad but she knew that this world didn't have the proper equipment like gloves, bats, softballs etc that they needed to play. "Soccer?"

"What's that's?" He questioned never hearing of the game before. She explained it to him and pretty soon they were rounding up the local village kids and got a game going. They played for a good three hours and were completely wiped out by dinner time.

* * *

Xander walked Ally back up to the castle and stopped at the top of the hill.

"Thanks for taking my mind off of what the mage said earlier." She said.

He waved her off. "Oh, no problem."

She put her hand on her head. "I just realized I left the magic book at that dudes house."

"Don't worry, I'll get it for you." He knew this thing with the Queen was really bothering Ally so he was going to be nicer to her.

"Thanks."

"I had fun today…it was a really cool game you showed us." He said smiling at her.

She nodded. "I have plenty more…just not the right stuff to play them."

"I see…well maybe you could teach us anyhow and we will make use from what we have around the village."

"We can try." She smiled before turning the head back to the castle.

"Good luck with the Queen, Ally!" He yelled to her. "I'll be back tomorrow."

She slightly turned to face him. "Thanks, I'm gonna need it. See you then!" She knew she was going to be in trouble but she wanted to stop Regina from enacting the curse so she was just going to take it. _I did break the rules so I suppose I deserve whatever punishment she gives me._

She strolled into the castle as if nothing was wrong. She was seized by the first two guards she encountered as they carried her through the halls passing by Tara as they went.

"The Queen is irate." Tara whispered to her.

"I don't doubt that." Ally replied trying to brace herself for Regina's fury that was about to be unleashed.

The guards led her straight into the Queen's room where she was sitting in a chair by the fire. "Leave us!" She demanded the guards who ran out of the room as quickly as they could while shutting the doors behind them.

Regina rose from her chair and glided over to Ally with a fierce look on her face. "You deliberately disobeyed me, Allison. First you skipped your lesson and then you went down to the village when I specifically told you not to." Regina yelled.

"But I had fun today, Regina." She yelled back. "For the first time in what feels like forever, I had fun! I got to run around and play with kids my age."

"That doesn't mean you can break the rules, Allison." Regina said firmly. She pointed her finger at her. "You _better_ not disobey me again." She said threateningly.

"So, what? You want to be bored for the rest of my life? I can't have fun?" Ally complained. "That's not fair at all."

"We had this conversation already, Allison. I can't protect you if I don't know where you are!" Regina argued.

"You don't have to protect me, Regina. You're not my mother!" Ally screamed back.

Regina was somewhat hurt. She knew she wasn't this girl's mother but she couldn't understand why Ally didn't see that she was only doing this for her own good. "Watch your tone, young lady." Regina warned.

"Why? You're just going to punish me anyway." Ally said still yelling.

"I want to have a relationship with you, Allison but this constant fighting is not the way to go about this." Regina said in an aggravated tone.

"You want to have a relationship with me?" Ally said in disbelief. "You haven't even tried to get to know me…I've tried plenty of times with you but you just keep shutting me down. I'm tired of the only one trying here, Regina, so excuse me if I want to venture off the palace grounds and have fun instead of fighting and being yelled at by you!" Ally finished breathlessly.

Regina realized she was right. She didn't get to know Allison at all and she felt guilty. "I know you like butterflies." She said.

"And how would you know that?" Ally asked crossing her arms in front of her.

"You draw them on all of your drawings." The Queen replied. "They are quite beautiful."

"Do you even know _why_ I like them so much?" Ally questioned.

Regina took a seat in the armchair she was once sitting in before Ally arrived. "No, would you tell me?" She asked hopefully.

"Because butterflies are free and that's what I want to be." She answered truthfully. This killed Regina, knowing she was keeping this girl here with her, not letting her fulfill her dream. That was her once, wanting to be free from her mother's control. She knew what it felt like and she didn't want to make this girl suffer like she did.

Regina sighed and put her head down. "If you want to leave, I will allow it."

Ally softened her face seeing that Regina was actually letting her go. She was putting Ally's feelings before her own and Ally truly appreciated that. She also remembered what the mage had said earlier about Regina losing her child. She slowly walked over the Queen. "But I don't want to leave..."

Regina looked up into her eyes with shock. "You don't?"

Ally shook her head. "No. I know we have our fights but who doesn't? I really like spending time with you, Regina, but you don't seem to have enough time for me. Which is totally fine…I just don't get why you would want me here if we aren't going to get to know each other?"

Regina nodded. _She has a point. _"I'm sorry, Allison. I know I haven't made things easy…"

"No you certainly haven't…" Ally mumbled.

"I will try better." Regina told her.

"Promise?" Ally questioned.

"Promise." She confirmed giving her a weak smile.

"Cool. I'm gonna go sketch some things before dinner." She told Regina before turning to exit.

"Not so fast, young lady." Regina said as she rose from her chair. "You're still going to be punished."

Ally scrunched her face and turned around. "Well, it was worth a shot…"

"Either no sketching for 3 days or no going outside for 3 days…you decide." Regina replied leaving the decision up to her.

Ally sighed. "I'd rather sketch…" She knew that meant she wouldn't see Xander for some time but she would relay the message to him some how.

Regina nodded. "Then you must stay in the castle for three days."

"Got it!" Ally gave her a thumbs up and a smile.

Regina walked closer to her. There was something that had been on Regina's mind since Ally's first few days with her. "Allison, why didn't you tell me about the man in the cell next to you?"

Ally's smile quickly faded as she diverted her eyes. "It's humiliating…and I didn't think you'd care anyway."

Regina guided her chin towards her so she could look into Ally's eyes. "People may call me the 'Evil Queen' but it doesn't mean I don't care."

Ally only nodded. She didn't know what to say.

"He's never going to touch or hurt you again." She reassured her.

Ally knew something was up. "Regina, what did you do?"

Regina pulled her hand away. "Killed him." She said proudly. "It's against the law to assault a woman, especially a young girl like yourself."

Ally could feel the tears that were gathering in her eyes but quickly remembered Regina told her not to cry and held them at bay. She didn't know if she was happy or sad he was dead. She was relieved that he could never hurt her again because she had some trouble sleeping since it happened. She just wanted to be alone in her room.

"Can I go to my room now?" Ally asked looking down at her feet.

"Go ahead." She replied as she watched Ally leave immediately. She could tell she upset her. She didn't mean to of course. She thought it would make her feel better now that she knew the creep wouldn't touch her again but of course, she was wrong.

* * *

Ally decided to skip dinner. She lost her appetite the moment Regina told her she killed the man. She spent most of the time reading or sketching. She was out on her balcony watching the sunset; she took her braid out then leaned her arms on the balcony as her chin sat on top.

Regina walked up beside her and placed her hands around the balcony. "Can we talk?" She knew Ally was upset and wanted to try to amend things between them.

"What about?" Ally asked not taking her eyes off the sunset or moving from the position she was in. She knew what Regina wanted to talk about but she was in no mood. She was upset with the whole situation.

"I realized I had upset you earlier and I wanted to make sure you were alright." Regina replied trying to get the girl to look at her. She hated talking to her profile.

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "I'm good." She didn't want to talk to Regina, not about this anyway.

Regina sighed knowing she wasn't going to get much out of the girl and looked off into the sunset. "You were right earlier…I don't know anything about you."

"So you want me to tell you my story?" Ally asked laying her hand down on her arms and looked over at the Queen.

Regina nodded. _I guess it's only fair. She told me her story. _Ally turned around so her back was leaning against the balcony. "There's not much to tell really…" She paused, thinking of where to begin. "I've spent my entire life in an orphanage run by nuns back in New Jersey. Before I came here, I was in the 9th grade. I didn't have many friends, Colleen made sure of that…" She said rolling her eyes and the mere thought of Colleen.

"Colleen?" Regina questioned hearing the aggravation in Ally's voice.

"One of the mean girls at my school…she made my life a living hell." Ally said.

"Why what did she do?"

_What didn't she do? _"I got suspended from softball and school because I was fighting with her…"

Regina put her hands on her hips. "I hardly think having an argument with someone is grounds for a suspension."

"Well…I was sitting on top of her punching her in the face…"Ally said looking away from the Queen.

Regina's eyes grew wide. "I can't picture you in a fight; you're so small."

Ally was offended by Regina's comment. "I can hold my own." She said firmly.

Regina smirked. "So what happened?"

"I went to meet my boyfriend only for him to tell me that he didn't like me anymore and that he was dating Colleen."

"He dumped you for her?" Regina asked in disbelief.

"Now who can't stop interrupting…. "Ally smirked making Regina shoot her a glare. She turned back to the sunset. "Anyway…he broke my heart. I went home only to be yelled at by the head nun." Ally sighed. "So I got lost in the woods after that, found the portal…and now I'm here." Ally looked up at Regina and caught her staring at her. "What's wrong?"

Regina shook her head. "Nothing." She was looking at Ally's features. It was the first time she looked at the girl, even if it was just from the side. Regina sighed and looked out to the horizon. She began running her fingers through Ally's hair. "Looks like we've both had miserable lives."

Ally hummed in agreement. She liked Regina playing with her hair; no one did this back in her world. It was actually quite comforting. "Can I ask you something?" Regina nodded. She had a feeling Regina was going to get mad but she went and asked her anyway. "Did you used to do this with Snow when she was my age?" She wanted to know more of the mother-daughter dynamic that went on with Regina and Snow.

Regina became aggravated and removed her hand from Ally's hair. She knew then and there that Regina was not happy with the question but to Ally's surprise, she answered anyway though she didn't look at Ally. "I did but it was forced. I tried to make the best of the situation but my hatred for her only grew."

"Is this forced?" Ally asked wanting to know the Queens true intentions for being nice to her.

Regina looked over to her startled by the question. "What? No! Of course not. I want to get to know you."

Ally let out the breath she was holding, relieved that Regina was actually trying. "So does Snow know what she did?" She knew she was pushing it but she was really curious.

Regina gritted her teeth. "She knows exactly what she did…and that is the last question you may ask involving Snow White." She said firmly.

Ally nodded. She didn't mean to make the Queen angry. She squeezed Regina's hand. "I'm sorry." She walked back into her room to give the Queen some alone time.

Regina was taken aback by Ally's kind gesture. She followed the young girl back into her room. "Allison, you said you grew up in an orphanage. What happened to your parents?"

Ally sat on her bed. "Oh that…" She put her head down. "I don't know much. The nuns never told me anything just that I was taken to them by some woman. I don't know if she was my mother or if she found me but it doesn't matter…I was left alone anyway."

"So you've never had a family…" Regina asked just confirming her thought.

Ally nodded. "Look, I really don't wanna talk about that just like you don't wanna talk about Snow White so I'll respect your wishes just as long as you respect mine."

"Fair enough, dear." Regina replied taking a seat next to her on the bed and began running her fingers through her hair once again. "I'm just tired of being alone." Ally whispered still keeping her head down. It was not normal for her to divulge such inner feelings but she felt vulnerable and it just sorta came out.

Regina felt bad and wanted to do something for her but she had no idea what to do. "Do you want me to brush your hair?" She offered. It was the first thing she thought of.

Ally turned her head towards Regina. She never in a million years thought the Evil Queen would offer to brush her hair. "You don't have to make me feel better; I'm used to feeling like this."

That was not what the Queen wanted to hear. She waved her hand and a hairbrush appeared in her hand. "I want to, please?" Ally nodded. _How can I say no to her? She just said please…when is she ever gonna say that again?_

Regina began brushing her hair. Ally never had someone brush her hair for her before. She was expecting Regina to be rough but to her surprise she was as gentle as could be. She could almost fall asleep at how relaxing it was.

When Regina thought Ally had relaxed a bit she stopped brushing her hair. "Well, my little butterfly, you should get washed up and ready for bed." Regina said patting her on the back to get up. Ally smiled at the fact that Regina called her 'my little butterfly'. She liked the term of endearment and hoped she would call her that more often. She was tired so she wasn't going to fight the Queen about the fact that she was basically giving her a bedtime; she just nodded and obeyed the Queen.

**So…let me know what ya think. I know it's kinda long but I just kept writing, couldn't stop. You all are great!**


	11. Chapter 11 Kind Gestures

** HeroineGauddess: Thanks for the nursery idea. It will be revisited in future chapters.**

Chapter 11: Kind Gestures

Ally told Monica to let Xander know that she wasn't allowed out for three days at that she would fill him in later. She decided to go to the library to find a good book to read and relax. She wasn't expecting to see the Queens father in there reading a book. She got really excited when she saw him because she felt like she hadn't seen him in a while.

She happily walked up to him. "Hi Henry!"

Henry chuckled. "Good morning, Allison. Come to find a good book?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yea, got any recommendations?"

"Hmm, what do you like to read?" He asked her.

"Mystery, fantasy, historical fiction..."

"No romance for you?" He asked knowing just about every other girl her age liked reading romance novels.

She scrunched her face in disgust. "No way...I don't believe in love or that my prince will come someday that only happens in fairytales..." She said but then remembered where she was. "Well that happens here but not back in my world."

"There's no love in your world?" Henry asked kinda shocked.

"No, there is. I just never felt it before, to love someone or to be loved." She said sadly. "Anyway...got any good book recommendations for me?"

He walked her over to a certain section of the library. "All these books here should peek your interest." He said pointing to about 20 shelves at least 16ft high.

"Wow." She said looking over all the books on the shelves. "How are all the books I would be interested in be right here?"

"Regina took a guess..." He said shrugging his shoulders.

She pulled out a few books that all sounded interesting. "She's a pretty good guesser." She picked a stack of books and took a seat next to Henry on the couch. They both sat in silence as they read their books.

Ally grew tired after about two hours and didn't feel like reading anymore. "Do you wanna play a game?" She asked the older man breaking his concentration on his book.

"What would you like to do?" He asked her as he put his book down.

"Do you have cards in this world?" She asked hopefully.

"We sure do." He walked over to a drawer and pulled out a deck of cards.

"What game did you have In mind?" He asked as he took a seat at a small round table.

"Do you know how to play SPIT?" She asked knowing he wouldn't.

"Does that involve spitting of any kind?" He asked a little disgusted.

She laughed as she took a seat across from him. "No. I don't know why it's called SPIT. Some people have another name for it but that's what I call it. I'll teach you!" She taught him the game and once he got the hang of it, the game was getting intense. The once quiet library was now full of laughter and noise. Ally kept winning but Henry was not giving up.

Regina heard about all the noise in the library and decided to check it out for herself. She opened the door quietly and saw Henry and Ally laughing hysterically. It actually warmed her heart to see her father so happy, especially with a child. She so wished she could've given him grandchildren, but that dream was abandoned years ago. It had been years since she heard her father's laughter. She walked up to the laughing pair. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Hello daughter." Henry greeted her. "We were just having a delightful conversation."

Regina chuckled. "Yes, I can see that but about what?"

"The time you fell out of your apple tree." Ally said laughing. "You were more worried about your apples."

Regina smiled. "I'm glad I can supply you with some laughter."

"Your dad told me a whole bunch of stories about when you were younger. You sound like a cute little kid." Ally said smiling.

"I could only imagine what he told you." She said rolling her eyes.

"All good, daughter. Don't worry." Henry said reassuring his daughter he only spoke of good memories.

"I know you're like super busy today, but do you have time to play a hand of cards with us?" Ally asked Regina hopefully.

"I think I can spare a few minutes." She replied as she took a seat in the chair between her father and Ally.

One hand turned into many as time flew by. They ate their dinner in the library as they continued their card games. They were having a lot of fun and didn't want it to end. It wasn't until Ally began yawning did Regina notice how late it was. "I can't believe we've been playing cards for hours." She said in disbelief.

"That's because we were having fun." Henry reminded her.

"Well, all fun must come to an end." Regina replied. She looked over to Ally who was having a tough time keeping her eyes open. Regina patted her hand. "Why don't you go to bed, dear? You look exhausted."

"I'm not tired." Ally said followed by a yawn.

Regina smirked. "Then let's take a little walk, you and I."

"Where do you wanna go" Ally asked.

"We will walk through the gardens." She replied.

"But Regina, it's too dark outside to take a walk." Henry protested.

"Nonsense, father. We are going to take a walk. Why don't you go to bed." She suggested to the older man.

He nodded, not fighting with his daughter over the matter anymore. Regina held out her hand for Ally to take, which she did without hesitation. Regina led her to the gardens as they strolled hand in hand. Regina didn't know why but she found herself nervous. She desperately wanted Ally to like her, why? She didn't know. "I know you're staying with me was part of our deal but how are you liking it?"

"It's pretty interesting but weird at the same time." Ally admitted as she swung her and Regina's hand back and forth without knowing she was doing it. Regina didn't mind at all, it meant that Ally was comfortable around her and she felt a little better about talking to her.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked wanting her to clarify what she was talking about. "It's just this whole land is weird...to me at least. I'm still not used to it." Ally said not looking up at the Queen.

"Do you miss your world? Your old home?" Regina asked feeling guilty that she kept this girl from returning home.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Some things I miss, like playing softball or riding my bike, but I don't miss anyone there. There were always a ton of people around me but I've always felt alone...I don't know...that doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense." Regina said sighing. She hated that this girl felt the same way she had for so long.

"You don't think it's stupid?" Ally asked looking up at the Queen.

Regina shook her head. "Not at all." Ally put her head back down but smiled.

She was happy that Regina didn't think she was crazy. She also liked feeling that she had something in common with the Queen, something she never thought would happen. "So do you like me living with you?"

Regina took a minute to respond. She didn't know whether to come right out and say it that she felt love for the girl or to simply bury those feelings and lie. She opted to not tell her the whole truth. "I do. It's not as lonely as it once was."

"Now we don't have to be alone anymore." Ally said giving her a slight smile before it turned into a yawn.

Regina gave her a sad smile back and wrapped her arm around Ally's shoulder, pulling her closer to her. "No, we don't." Ally leaned into the Queen for she was too tired to keep her balance. She let Regina walk her back to her room. She didn't want Regina to leave her but she knew it would be silly for her to ask her to stay. Regina made sure Tara was in the room before she bid Ally goodnight and left, leaving Tara to help Ally get ready for bed.

"You've seem to have captured the Queens heart." Tara said as she placed the nightgown over Ally's head.

"What do you mean?" Ally asked when her head was through the silk purple nightgown.

"A few maids and servants have seen the way she looks at you, especially when you are drawing. You can see it in her eyes that she's falling in love with you...the whole palace is really. Except when you disappear, then we all go into a frenzy searching for you." Tara explained with a smile on her face as she pushed Ally towards the bed and pulled the covers over her small little body.

Ally slightly laughed. "She doesn't love me." She said doubtfully. "She just...I don't know"

"If you don't believe me why don't you show some affection towards her, see what she does." Tara suggested. "I would be very curious as to see how she reacts."

Ally thought about it for a moment. "Fine, but if she like throws me against the wall with magic or whatever it's your fault."

Tara chuckled. "Fine but I don't think she'll do that to you."

"She has before..." Ally mumbled.

"What was that?" Tara asked not catching what Ally has said.

"Goodnight!" Ally said quickly.

"Goodnight, miss Ally." Tara replied and put the fireplace out before leaving.

* * *

The next morning, Ally was awoken by a stream of light suddenly on her face. She peeked her eyes open and saw Tara opening the curtains to let the sunlight in. "Must you do that?" Ally groaned.

"Would you rather me shake you awake?" Tara questioned with a smirk on her face.

"This whole waking up early thing is really going to be the death of me." Ally whined not making any attempt to move from her comfy bed.

Tara giggled. "You should be used to it by now. You've been in the castle for a month already."

"I will never get used to waking up this early...even if I had to do it for school for like 8 years."

Tara just laughed as she helped Ally get up and get ready for breakfast. "Her majesty will not be joining you for breakfast this morning, something has come up." Tara informed her as she brushed her dark brown hair.

"Then why the hell am I awake if I don't have to eat with her?" Ally asked a little annoyed that she finally got a chance to sleep in and she was woken up.

"You still want to eat, don't you?" Tiara asked.

"I could do with a few more hours of sleep before eating anything." Ally replied still aggravated.

"Well the Queen wants you fed and ready to go by 9:30am."

"And why is that?" Ally asked.

"She wouldn't say. So it will be a surprise to both of us." Ally huffed. She wasn't too thrilled with surprises. She found them threatening.

"Remember to show affection towards her..." Tara reminded her. "So you can see that I am right and that she does love you." Ally just nodded. She didn't believe someone could actually love her, no one did before so why should they start now.

Ally ate a small breakfast, only a couple pieces of fruit. She wasn't that hungry. She would rather be sleeping. She was told to wait in the Morning Room, where Regina usually took her tea. Ally was sitting in a chair, dozing when she heard the Queen say her name softly. "Hmm." She hummed without opening her eyes.

"I have a surprise for you." She heard Regina reply as she gently stroked her arm. This made Ally rethink Tara's theory. Ally opened her eyes and saw the Queen smiling down at her.

"Are you going to follow me or are you just going to sit there?" Regina asked putting her hands on her hips.

Ally slowly picked herself off the chair and began following Regina out of the room. She slipped her hand into the older woman's but kept her gaze ahead of her. Regina was startled to have Ally's hand suddenly in hers. She looked over to the young girl walking next to her with a surprised look on her face but the girl wasn't paying attention. It was as if Ally did it nonchalantly, not thinking anything of it. It was like when a young child reaches out for their mother's hand, wanting physical contact. Regina couldn't help but smile as she kept walking with Ally by her side. They walked through the castle and out to the stables.

"What are we doing out here? Are we going riding?" Ally asked looking up at the Queen.

"Mhmm, but I have to show you something." She led her into the stables and pointed to one of the stalls. "That's Wildfire. He was named after you, dear."

"What?" Ally looked confused. "You're a bit of a wildfire and I thought considering he is your horse and he didn't have a name to begin with, he should be named after his owner." Regina said smiling.

"My horse?!" Ally asked surprised. "My very own horse!" She screamed with happiness as she jumoed up and down.

Seeing Ally happy and jumping with joy made Regina's heart flutter. It was a moment that she would never forget. She chuckled at the girl's happiness. "Yes, your very own horse."

Ally was so elated. She ran over to the horse but stopped and ran back to Regina, hugging her tightly around the waist. "Thank you so much."

Regina wasn't ready for the outward show of affection. She found herself hugging the girl back tightly, for some reason she didn't want to let her go. "You're welcome, dear."

"This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!" Ally whispered. Regina was heartbroken. She couldn't believe a simple horse was the nicest thing this girl had received in her lifetime. She knew that Ally was misunderstood, just like herself.

The stable hands, and other servants watched as the Queen wrapped her arms tightly around Allison's small frame. They all saw the pain and love on the Queens face. There was definitely no denying that _this girl_ had won the Queen over, something no one had been able to do.

Ally released her grip and Regina was forced to do the same. "Let's go riding!" Ally said excitedly as she grabbed Regina's hands and started jumping up and down. Regina had to prepare the curse but she couldn't say no to Ally's sweet little face so she nodded happily.

They set off early that morning, not coming back till close to supper time. Regina really enjoyed her day with Allison, even if she didn't admit it to the girl. Ally also had a wonderful time with the Queen. She told Tara all about their day and the only thing Tara had to say was, "I told you so."

* * *

Ally waited in the kitchen for Xander to arrive with the things from the village the next morning. He was bringing in boxes when she saw him.

"Xander!" She exclaimed.

He put the box down quickly and ran over to her. "Hey, how did everything go? Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"

She giggled. "No, I just can't go out and play for the next two days. She was pretty nice about it. She even gave me a horse!"

"You got your own horse for disobeying her?" He asked in disbelief. "Maybe you should do that more often then. Who knows what else she'll give you?!"

She smiled. "I have something to show you, come with me!" She grabbed his hands and started pulling him along.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" He said holding his ground. "I have a job to do Ally."

"Well what about after?" She asked him.

He thought about it for a moment. "I can't be seen talking to you."

She frowned. "Why not?"

He looked around and then pulled her into the pantry. "You're considered royalty….and me" He put his hand over his chest. "Well I'm just a boy from the village. We're really not supposed to be friends."

She smirked. "So we're friends now?"

He wanted to smack himself for his slip up. "Yea, I guess we are." He sighed.

"Well I'm more of a villager than a royal any day. I don't care what the rules are." She argued.

"Clearly….you break them every damn day." He smirked as she crossed her arms. "It's what I do." She smiled back at him.

"Well, I can't afford to get in trouble…especially with the Queen." He told her.

"We'll sneak around, don't worry. You won't get caught." She assured him.

"Ya know, you do a lot of sneaking around yet you never get away with it." He realized.

She shoved him lightly. "Will you come with me and stop being a scardy cat!"

"Fine, but we better not get caught!" He said seriously.

"We won't, now go finish your job and I'll meet you back here in a half hour." She instructed. He just stared at her before turning to resume his job. _He is so whipped._

* * *

She snuck him up to her room to show him the secret passageway that led to the room with the magic books. He shut the door behind him so there was no light to guide them but she found the door anyway, even after she yelled at him. He couldn't believe she found this place. He began searching through some of the books, just as she did when she first found it the other day.

"How in the world did you find it?" He asked her in amazement as he flipped through a book.

"I had a feeling there were secret passageways in here. There usually are in castle. It's just a matter of finding them."

"Well, you should get a cookie for a job well done." He told her which made her laugh.

They spent a half hour in there before Xander thought he was overstaying his welcome. Ally grabbed a candle and lit it with a match that was sitting on the table beside it. When she crawled a little ways through the passageway, she noticed there was another tunnel to the right of them.

"Did you know that was there?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "I didn't notice it before…we should see where it leads." She began heading in that direction when Xander grabbed her ankle.

"No, let me go first. I'm the guy." He crawled in front of her and grabbed the candle from her hand.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh so now you want to be the man?" He just ignored her and kept crawling forward.

"What if this is like a trap or something?" He suggested.

"A trap for what?" She questioned very much doubting that's what this tunnel is for.

"I don't know; doesn't that sorta thing usually happen?" He asked as he kept crawling.

_Kids got a point. "_Just keep going…"

"You're so stubborn." He mumbled. She stuck her tongue out at him but of course he didn't see.

"Hey, there's a door ahead." He told her.

"Go . Go. Go." She said eagerly.

He reached the door and pushed it open. After he and Ally crawled through they could barely make out where they were it was so dark. Xander walked around a bit with the candle and noticed there was a fireplace. He made sure there was wood in there before setting a fire which lit the room allowing them to see.

The room looked like no one had touched it in a very long time; cobwebs covered most of the furniture.

"What is this room?" Xander asked as he looked around.

Ally noticed there was a small crib in the middle of the room with a mobile hanging over top and a bunch of baby toys scattered all about. "This must've been the Queen's child's room."

"You really think so?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "What else could it be?"

"Why do you think it's all shut up?" He wondered out loud.

"Regina lost her baby." She snapped. "She's still grieving over the loss of her child. I would lock this room up too….too many painful memories."

He put his hands up in self-defense. "Sorry, I didn't realize. I just thought she would be over it by now."

"You don't get over something like that!" She was clearly upset.

"Do you even know what happened?" He questioned.

"It doesn't matter. She lost the baby, it hurts no matter what." She responded sadly. This room was making her very depressed. "We should leave."

"Yea." He agreed. "I have to get back anyway."

She nodded and put out the fire after grabbing the candle off the table. She led them through the tunnel back to her own room. She walked him out, secretly of course.

She was walking slowly back to her room, thinking about Regina and her baby. _I wish there was something I could do…I want to help her so bad, I just don't know how. _She was passing by the Queen's room when she got the sudden urge to go in there. She was about to knock on the door when the guards yelled at her.

"Why can't I see Regina?" She questioned.

"She doesn't want to be bothered right now." Ross answered.

"The Queen is not in a good mood at all." Marshall, the other guard, added.

"But I only wish to speak with her for a moment." She argued.

Ross just shook his head. "It's your funeral…"

She took that as a yes so she went ahead and knocked on the door.

"Who is it and what do you want?!" She heard the Queen growl from the other side of the door.

Regina waited just on the other side of the door for the response. She was in a very bad mood, due to Snow White no less. "It's Allison. I want to talk to you real quick." She heard the little girl say meekly.

Regina sighed and opened the door allowing the girl to enter before shutting the doors behind her. "Make it quick, Allison. I have things to do." She said sounding aggravated.

Ally didn't want to talk to her though she wanted to give Regina a hug. She quickly wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and rested her head on the Queen's chest. Regina inhaled sharply; she was not ready for any physical contact let alone a hug from her. It took her a moment to realize what was happening before she wrapped her arms around the girl pressed tightly to her chest.

"Is there something wrong, dear?" Regina asked, her voice softening to concern.

"No, I just wanted to give you a hug. I thought you could use one.' Ally squeezed her tighter. "I hope it helps."

Regina couldn't help but smile at the young girl's kind gesture and hugged her back. "It does. Thank you." She whispered.

Ally pulled away and looked up at the Queen with a big smile on her face. "Glad I could help. I'm gonna go sketch now since I can't go out and play. I'll see you later, Regina."

She just nodded and she watched her exit. She couldn't believe a simple hug from Allison made her feel better. She was hoping their relationship would continue to grow and prosper. _She's one special child._

* * *

Ally joined Henry in the library after dinner. They played a ton of cards games and a few rounds of chess for a while. Regina walked into the library and smiled at the scene in front of her. Her father and Ally were cuddled on the couch by the fire while he read a book to her. Regina knew how much her father wanted a grandchild and felt horrible that she didn't give him one…one that wasn't taken from her. She desperately wanted to know what happened to her daughter but Leopold never told her what he did with her after he took her away. Regina didn't want to interrupt them so she tried to back out of the room without being seen.

"Regina!" Ally exclaimed when she saw the Queen by the large doors. She was happy to see her.

"Allison…" Regina rolled her eyes seeing she has just been caught.

"Come sit down. Your father is reading a great book to me." She said waving her over.

Regina remembered when he used to read to her when she was Ally's age. She took a seat next to Allison. "I suppose I could stay a while."

Henry smiled at his daughter before Ally tugged on his arm to continue reading. He and Regina took turns reading until the book was finished.

Ally could barely keep her eyes open. "That was an awesome book, one of my favorites now."

Regina smiled and noticed her sleepy eyes. "Come on, young lady. It's bed time." She patted her knee.

Ally kissed Henry on the cheek. "Goodnight. Thank you for a fun day. I hope we can do it again soon."

"I would enjoy that very much." He really liked spending time with Ally.

Regina sent her off to bed and snuggled closer to her father. "You like her daddy. You're acting like her grandfather."

"And you're acting like her mother." He countered. "You're really falling for her, Regina."

Regina sighed. "I know. It scares me. I didn't think it could happen but there's just something about her…"

"I know exactly what you mean. Ya know, I see a lot of you in her."

"Ya think?"

Henry nodded. "You both are very determined once you start something; you don't stop until you achieve it. She's also very smart and beautiful."

She swatted his shoulder playfully. "Oh daddy…"

He chuckled. "She reminds me of you, Regina."

"I do see a lot of myself in her…" Regina admitted. "She's an amazing little girl, daddy."

"Oh I know, Princess. Truly wonderful." He agreed. "Look at her closely next time and you'll see a resemblance." He kissed her forehead. "I'm going to bed. Sweet dreams."

She was a little confused by his comment but bid him good night anyway. "Good night, daddy." She then made her way up to Ally's room to check on her. She was fast asleep in her bed. Regina pulled her covers up and took a long look at Ally's porcelain face. _She's so beautiful. _She did notice similar features between Ally and herself but nothing too defining. _Daddy must be seeing things that are too good to be true._ She got the sudden urge to kiss her goodnight. She leaned down and kissed her forehead. As soon as she did it, she knew that she loved the girl and it completely terrified her.

**I hope you liked the chapter! Love your reviews!**


	12. Chapter 12 Comfortable

**Long chapter because I have finals and don't know when the next chapter will be up. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12: Comfortable

Tara woke Ally up once again. She was getting used to Ally's stubbornness and knew it took about 20 minutes to get the girl out of bed. When Ally whined and complained, Tara reminded her that she was allowed outside that day. She jumped and ran into her closet picking out the first dress on the hanger. It was a burgundy red that stopped just above her knee. Tara made her wear white stockings and black buckle shoes. Ally was not too happy.

"I look like 'little orphan Annie', only I would be 'little orphan Ally." She said staring at herself in the mirror.

"Who's Annie?" Tara questioned.

Ally shook her head. "Someone from my world. You wouldn't know her."

Tara finished tying a white bow in her half ponytail and patted Ally on the shoulders. "Alright, you're all set."

Ally got up eagerly. "Thanks Tara!" She began running towards the door.

"Don't run!" Tara yelled but Ally was already out of the room.

Ally was running down the corridor all the way to the kitchen to meet Xander. She had to wait until he finished unloading everything from the village before they could hangout.

They walked along the hills with two guards trailing further behind keeping an eye on Ally.

"Did you ask the Queen about the nursery?" Xander was curious.

"No, I just gave her a hug hoping it would make her feel better." She admitted. "But I do want to ask her about her child…I just don't know when the right time would be."

"I don't know if you should." He told her. "She'll probably hurt you if you do."

Ally put her head down knowing he was right but wishing he were wrong. She began climbing a nearby tree. "Don't look." She instructed so he wouldn't see up her dress.

"Should you be doing that in a dress?" He asked as he turned his back towards her.

She huffed. "I'm not letting a dress stop me from having fun. You can turn around now." She told him once she was settled on a sturdy branch. He followed her up the tree and sat across from her.

"Regina's not all bad, ya know." She told him as she swung her feet lightly back and forth.

"You keep saying that but I have yet to see it." He said shaking his head.

"I have. It may be awkward at times but I know she's trying, as am I." She countered.

He too began swinging his legs trying to kick her lightly. "I don't doubt that _you_ are…"

"But you doubt her…" Ally finished his sentence angrily.

He stopped all movement and looked directly into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Ally but she's not a trustworthy person. I don't think you should be getting too attached to her." He advised. "She's liable to break your heart…or rip it out, whichever is easier."

She shook her head. "But the mage said that I could save her." She argued.

"Save her from what?"

"Herself." She whispered. Xander didn't get it. _He doesn't understand Regina like I do. _

"What does that mean?" He asked her.

Ally sighed. "Regina feels alone. I feel alone. Together we can fill the emptiness inside that's eating both of us alive."

"I didn't know you felt that way…" He said sadly looking towards the ground.

"It doesn't matter…" She said shrugging her shoulders.

He looked over to her. "You _want_ to get close to the Queen, not just because the mage said it would protect everyone form the curse…but because you _love_ her."

She hung her head low and closed her eyes knowing what he said was true. "I never thought it would happen in a million years but…I do love her and her flaws." She admitted.

"Wow." He said in shock. "Did she put you under some spell of hers?"

She looked over in disgust. "No, she would never do that."

"She killed hundreds of people because they wouldn't tell her where Snow White was." He argued. "How can you sit there and say she's not capable of such horrible things."

"I just said she would never do that…at least not to me." _I think._ "You don't know her, Xander."

"I know she is a murderer!" He shouted.

She leaned forward a bit. "Then why are you even here, working for her?"

"To make sure she doesn't kill you!" He shouted.

"You don't have to worry about me!" She yelled back. "I'll be fine."

"Ask her about her baby then. I dare ya!" He leaned in towards her face.

She was not one to back down from a dare. "Fine, but it will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Why? Scared?" He smirked.

"No, I just got over one punishment and I would like at least another day to enjoy my freedom while I still have it." She argued.

He narrowed his eyes. "You're not even her kid, why are you listening to her stupid rules anyway?"

"It's complicated…" She growled.

"Is it because you _love_ her?" He said mockingly.

She glared at him before she started climbing down as fast as she could. She lost her footing and slipped, letting out a scream all the way down. She fell directly on her back and got the wind knocked out of her.

Xander quickly climbed down and knelt beside her. "Ally, are you okay?" She couldn't speak just yet and her vision was a little blurry so she just patted his hand that rested on her stomach to let him know she was okay. "You don't have to be so stubborn, ya know. That wouldn't have happened if you didn't take my jokes so seriously."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before glaring up at him as she remained lying on her back. "It _wasn't _funny…"

He sighed knowing he was never going to win with her. He rolled his eyes. "I'll be back tomorrow." He offered his hand to help her up but she refused. "Fine. Have it your way." He walked off and left her lying on the ground.

_She closed her eyes. I should've never said anything to him._ She was lost in her own thoughts and didn't hear the footsteps approaching her. "Are you alright, dear?" She opened her eyes to see Regina standing over her.

"Oh, yea...I just fell out of a tree, that's all." She said nonchalantly.

Regina put her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't have been climbing trees in the first place."

"I didn't get hurt…" She argued even though she knew she would have a bruise on her ass later on.

Regina extended her hand to help her up. "You ruined your outfit…" She said as she looked over Ally disapprovingly as she stood up.

"Sorry, I'll get it washed right away." She tried making a dash back to the castle but Regina caught her arm. "Allison, who was that boy I saw leaning over you?"

Her eyes grew wide and her cheeks turned red. "No one, really. Just some village boy."

Regina smirked. "Was that Alexander, the boy from the kitchens?"

All put her head down. "_Maybe_…"

"Did he have something to do with your fall?" She questioned.

She shook her head quickly. "No, totally my fault. He tried helping me up, I just didn't feel like it at the time and he had to get home."

She arched her eyebrows. "I see."

"Yea, well…I'm gonna go change." She said.

"You have your lesson in a half hour." Regina reminded her.

Ally rolled her eyes and sighed. "Do I have to? They're pointless."

"They keep you out of trouble." Regina countered.

"What if I stay out of trouble?" Ally tried reasoning with the Queen.

Regina arched her eye brows. "Is that even possible?"

Ally smiled deviously. "Probably not…."She said before turning to run back to the castle. Regina was going to yell at her not to run but she knew it wouldn't do any good. Ally just wasn't one to listen to rules.

* * *

Henry was reading a book in his room when Regina knocked on the door and entered. "Daddy?"

"Hello, Regina. What brings you by?" Henry asked when he heard her voice.

She walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "It's Allison…"

"What about her?" He asked closing his book and placing it on the table next to him.

"How do I…" Her voice trailing off.

"How do you, what?" He asked trying to get it out of her.

She couldn't find the right words or she didn't know how to say it. "How can I get her to open up to me more? I know she's hiding things."

"Regina, those things take time. She doesn't trust you." Henry replied truthfully.

"I know, so how can I move that process along?" She asked eagerly not fully understanding how things work with kids.

He sighed and pushed himself out of his chair to make his way over to Regina. "It doesn't work like that, Princess. You have to be nice to her and give her love. Giving her a horse might score you points but it won't make her trust you."

Regina leaned her head on his shoulder. "I _do_ love her, daddy and it scares me." She admitted.

"I know, Regina." He told her as he stroked her hair. "We all know."

Her head shot up. "What do you mean?"

"The servants and staff can see it on your face when Ally enters the room. Your face lights up and you look happy for once." He told her.

She only nodded. She didn't realize she did that.

"I think everyone knows but Ally. You should tell her Regina." He advised.

"But what if she doesn't feel the same way?" She asked worriedly.

He pondered her question for a moment. "Think of it as dating. You won't know until you share your feelings."

She tilted her head. "You make a good point, daddy. I like our little talks." She kissed his cheek and made her way towards the door.

"Oh, Regina?" He called.

"Yes daddy?" She turned back around to face him.

"I have one more piece of advice for you for future reference." He made his way over to her.

"What's that?" She asked him.

"There may come a time where she is upset and you will have to comfort her. Never be the first to let go when hugging a child. You never know how long they need." He smiled before giving her a hug.

She melted in his arms and squeezed him tight. "That's probably the best advice ever. Thank you, daddy. Truly. I don't know what I would do or how to raise a child without you."

* * *

To Ally's surprise, the Queen was sitting in a large chair by the fireplace in Ally's room waiting for Ally to finish bathing. "There's my little butterfly." Regina said smiling when she saw Ally emerge from her bathroom.

Ally smiled. "To what do I owe this visit to?" She asked walking over to her.

"I wanted to see you off to bed. Is that a problem?" She asked as she leaned forward in her seat.

"No, but I usually read a few chapters of my book before I go to sleep." Ally said playing with her wet hair.

"Why don't we read it together?" Regina suggested.

"I'm already in the middle of it."

"That's okay, dear. Bring it over." Regina said waving her off. Ally nodded and received the book from her nightstand.

"I've read that before." Regina said after seeing the title of the book. She patted the space next to her, indicating Ally to sit beside her. The chair was big enough for both of them but only if they squished. Ally felt a little uneasy being so close to the Queen; she was basically sitting on her lap. After Ally took a seat, Regina could feel the girl shiver so she magicked a blanket and covered them both with it. "There. Is my little butterfly all settled in?" Ally smiled and nodded. She opened up to chapter 5 in her book.

"Would you like me to read it to you, dear?" Regina asked, not because she thought the girl incompetent to read it on her own, but to just spend time with her.

Ally shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. I've never really had anyone read to me before so this is new to me."

Regina took the book from her and wrapped her arm around her shoulder, pulling the young girl closer to her, if that were even possible. This was all new to Ally but she really liked this side of the Queen. She snuggled in and listened to Regina read the story.

She only got through a chapter and a half when she noticed Ally's head lying against her shoulder. She looked down and noticed she had fallen asleep in her arms. Regina couldn't help but notice how peaceful Ally looked while she slept. This was all new to Regina; this feeling of warmth and comfort she got from this child being so close to her. She loved every minute of it and it made her second guess enacting the curse. _Maybe I can be happy with Allison. _

She put the book mark on the page she had left off and put the book aside. She didn't want to disturb the young girl but Regina knew they couldn't stay like that the entire night. She helped the sleeping girl up and walked her over to her bed. She noticed a cut on the back of Ally's arm. _She told me she didn't get hurt. _ She sat her on the bad and waved her hand over the cut, healing it in the process before checking for any more visible injuries. She then tucked her in and stared down at her briefly before putting her lips to Allison's forehead. It was becoming a common feeling to want to kiss her goodnight.

"Goodnight, my little butterfly. Sweet dreams." She whispered before she left her room for the night.

Regina wasn't aware that Ally had felt the kiss on her forehead and heard what she had whispered to her before she left. She knew Regina did something with magic so she looked at her arm. She noticed her cut had disappeared and she couldn't believe it. _Regina has healing powers?! Well that's pretty damn cool. _She went to bed with a smile on her face knowing that the Queen had some type of feelings for her and she knew, deep down in her heart, that she had feelings for the Queen.

* * *

Ally thought all day about how to ask the Queen this question that's been on her mind and she finally got enough courage to do so. She was just outside the Queen's bedroom door. She didn't want to upset the Queen by asking her the whereabouts of her child but she really wanted to know and Xander _did_ dare her. She loved spending time with Regina the previous night but she was unsure to tell of her of her true feelings or that she heard what Regina said to her before she left her room.

_How can I ask her without letting her know of the mage I visited and how I got in the locked up nursery?_

She saw Regina at the other end of the hall and turned around in the other direction. She was too nervous, she couldn't do it. All the courage she once had had left her.

"Allison?" Regina called loudly from the other end, her voice echoing through the halls.

Ally scrunched her face. _Damn it. _She turned around. "Yes?" She called back seeing Regina was already on a fast pace towards her.

"I heard you skipped your lesson today." She said placing her hands on her hips.

She took a deep breath. "Oh…right…about that…see, I was drawing the landscape that overlooked my balcony and lost track of time."

Regina sighed and she shook her head. "Allison, you need to be more responsible. You can't just forget about something so important."

"But they're not important." She argued. "I'm not going to need to know how to speak amongst other royals. It's not like you're throwing any grand balls anytime soon."

Regina clenched her jaw. She remembered something her father said. _You're acting like Cora. _Something she never wanted to be. "Fine. You don't have to take them."

"Really?!" Ally squealed.

"Really." Regina nodded back.

"Thank you!" She sighed in relief. "I never liked school."

Regina huffed. "So I've noticed."

Ally giggled which made Regina smile. "Is there a reason why you are hovering outside my bedroom door?"

She diverted her eyes. "Oh, um…I was going to ask you something but I changed my mind."

"Well what is it?" Regina wanted to know.

"It's okay, really."

Regina put her hands on her hips. "Allison…"

Ally sighed and motioned for her to follow her into Regina's room. She made herself comfortable on the side of the bed before asking the Queen about her baby.

Regina stood with her arms crossed. "What is it, Allison?"

"I was just wondering what happened to your baby?" She asked meekly.

Regina's whole body stiffened. She was not ready for that question nor was she ready to deal with the sudden emotions that were developing within her. "How do you know about my child?" She growled her eyes growing dark.

Ally knew she would ask that question. "How I know doesn't matter. I just want to learn more about you, Regina. Learn why you're hurting so much." Ally said softly as she swiftly made her way over to the Queen. "Maybe I can help."

Her stare didn't softened or grow lighter. "Don't think for one second there is anything you can do to make all this better."

"But I can understand…" Ally started saying but was cut off by the Queen. "I'm not having this conversation with you, Allison." She yelled.

"I'm just trying to make sense of it all. Did your baby pass away?"

Regina fought back the tears as she thought of the day she last saw her baby girl. She did not want to have this conversation or want to go through those painful memories and emotions again. "Do not bring this up again." She warned before walking towards her balcony.

Ally turned around to follow her. "But Regina…"

Regina turned around clearly pissed. She threw her hands towards Ally, sending her flying through the air, landing across the room. "Do not talk back to me! I am still the Queen and what I say goes. You better get that through your head sooner rather than later." She yelled glaring at Ally still lying on the ground.

Ally looked up at her hurt. She couldn't believe Regina had just done that; used magic on her. She really thought things changed between her and Regina but she was wrong. Tears spilled over without warning. She got up as quickly as she could and bolted to her room.

She couldn't believe what just happened. One minute she and Regina would be laughing and having a good time then she's being thrown across the room and screamed at. She crawled up onto her bed and hugged her knees as tears flowed like a river down her reddened cheeks. _Why can't my life just be simple?_

Regina watched her meltdown from her mirror. She felt bad that she made Ally cry. She knew she needed to learn how to control her temper without using magic. She wanted to go in to apologize and comfort her but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She watched Ally cry until she cried herself to sleep. She sighed knowing that whatever relationship she attempted to build with Ally was thrown away in an instant. She crawled into her own bed and laid there thinking of the day's events and of the beautiful little girl in the other room.

* * *

Ally awoke in the middle of the night. She felt like someone was sitting in her room just watching her. She quickly sat up and began scanning her bedroom.

"Hello, dearie." A familiar voice echoed through the dark room.

She jumped and her eyes adjusted to a figure sitting at her vanity. She knew it was Rumplestilskin. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"What's wrong, dearie?" He asked standing up. "You don't sound excited to see me."

Ally didn't move, only brought the covers closer to her. "That's because I'm not."

"I could help you get out of here and back to your world…for a price that is." He said making his way over to the foot of her bed.

"No! I'm done making deals with you." She said firmly.

Rumple put his hand to his chest acting like he was hurt by her comment.

"You lied to me last time. That man with the hat couldn't have helped me because my world is a land without magic and he can't travel there." She yelled.

"My, the Queen has taught you a lot now hasn't she." He observed.

"Not much." She replied.

"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself with the Evil Queen…"

"She's not evil." She said glaring at him.

"She threw you across the room earlier, did she not?"

"I shouldn't have asked her those questions…and how do you know that happened?" She wanted to know.

"I know many things, dearie." He said with a stupid grin that annoyed the hell out of Ally. "I know that you desperately want to go home, back to your world." It was true. After her fight with Regina, she thought it was hopeless and she just wanted to go home.

"Just leave me alone!" She shouted.

"If you choose not to accept my help, that's fine…but I want my squid ink."

"I don't have it."

"The two other brats said you had it so where is it?" He asked angrily getting in her face.

"Regina took it…I don't know what she did with it." She trembled. He was scaring the shit out of her and he knew it.

"You better find it soon or I will be back for you…and you won't want that to happen." He threatened before disappearing in a puff of red smoke.

Ally hugged her knees tightly. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to tell Regina but she was mad at her and it was the middle of the night. After ten minutes of thinking about what to do she decided it was best to tell Regina. Her fear of Rumplestiltskin won over her anger towards the Queen. She hopped out of bed and ran down the long hall in bare feet. The guards saw her running and stepped in front of her, preventing her from going any further.

"You need to go back to your room now, miss." One guard said firmly.

Ally was crying. "Please!" She begged. "I need to talk to Regina."

"You'll have to wait until the morning to speak to the Queen." The other guard answered.

Ally couldn't wait. She tried fighting her way past them but they weren't budging.

Regina was awoken by a loud commotion going on outside her bedroom door. _That's odd._ She climbed out of bed and threw on her silk robe. She opened the door to find one of her guards holding a hysterical Ally over his shoulder trying to control her while the other guard tried helping.

"What the hell is going on out here?" She asked placing her hands on her hips waiting for an explanation to be woken in the middle of the night.

"She wanted to talk to you but we told her to wait until a decent hour only she was giving us a hard time." Ross replied.

Regina looked into Ally's glistening honey brown eyes and knew something had happened. "Put her down." She said firmly to the guards.

They did as they were told. Once her feet were back on the floor, she ran over to Regina and wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. Regina was shocked when Ally initiated a hug, especially after what transpired between them earlier. She could feel the hot tears through her robe. She wrapped one arm around the girl's shoulders and rested the other on the back of her head. "I'll take it from here, gentlemen. Thank you." She guided Ally back into her bed chamber and shut the door behind her.

"What's wrong, dear?" She asked once they were alone.

Ally pulled back to look Regina in the eyes. "He was in my room." She whispered through her tears.

Regina looked concerned. "Who was?" She asked wiping away Ally's tears.

"Rumplestiltskin. He said he was going to come back for me if I didn't get the squid ink for him." She sobbed looking down at her feet.

Regina smoothed Ally's hair back and tried to calm her down. "Shh. He won't take you." She said firmly. She wasn't letting another child be taken from her.

Ally hugged her again. "He wanted me to make another deal with him. He said he could get me to make another deal with him. He called you evil…"

"A lot of people call me evil…" She pointed out. She didn't know why this upset Ally at all.

"But you're not evil." Ally argued.

Regina was shocked that this girl defended her even after what she did to her earlier. She hugged Ally tighter. "He won't hurt you; I'll make sure of it."

"But he just popped into my room. How can you stop him from doing that?"

"I'll put a barrier spell around the castle and an extra strong one over your room if that will make you feel better?" Regina offered.

Ally nodded._ Barrier spell. Those can only be super powerful if the castor does it out of love for the person they are protecting. _She remembered reading in one of the spell books she found. She let go of Regina and wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry I woke you and I'm sorry for crying…and I'm sorry for hugging you. I know it was inappropriate." She looked down at her feet feeling ashamed. "But I was scared."

Regina leaned down to her level and lifted her chin to look her in the eyes. "You don't have to apologize for any of that. " She wiped away Ally's remaining tears. "I should be apologizing to you for my behavior earlier."

"I shouldn't have asked. I suppose I deserved it…"

Regina shook her head. "No, you didn't. I have to learn to control my temper without using magic. I was completely out of line earlier, it's a touchy subject that I am not comfortable talking about. I'm sorry about everything, Allison. Truly, I am."

Ally could tell Regina was really sorry for her actions just by looking into her brown eyes. "It's okay."

Regina began looking her over. "Did you get hurt?"

Ally waved her off. "Only a small bruise. I'm good."

Regina still felt bad. "Let's get you back to bed." She said pulling her along only Ally resisted. "No, I don't want to."

"Still scared?" Regina guessed. Ally nodded. She held out her hand which Ally accepted. It was weird for Regina to feel so attached to this young girl but she couldn't help herself. If this was Snow pulling this stunt, she would've sent the girl back to her room without a second thought.

She walked Ally back to her room. "Climb into bed, darling." Regina instructed pushing her towards her bed. Ally did as she was told and pulled up the covers once she was in her bed.

Regina was standing in the middle of the room and summoned all her energy. Ally watched in amazement as a bright light came from Regina's hands. She was placing a very powerful barrier spell over the room to keep Rumplestiltskin out. Once she was finished she walked over to Allison's bedside and smiled at her.

"Why are you smiling like that, Allison?" Regina asked noticing Ally's huge grin on her face.

"That was so cool! Way better than magicians at home!" Ally said in amazement. "Could you teach me?!"

"Absolutely not!" Regina rejected.

Ally frowned. "Why not?"

"First of all, you are way too young and second of all, magic is not something to mess around with." Regina scolded lightly.

"But Regina…" Ally started. "No, Allison. That's the end of the conversation." She lightly pushed Ally down on the bed and covered her. "Go to sleep, you're exhausted."

Ally wouldn't have given in so easily but she was in fact exhausted. Ally soon fell asleep and Regina couldn't bring herself to leave her room. She wanted to make sure Rumple didn't make any surprise visits just in case her spell wasn't strong enough for the imp to keep out. She just sat by her bedside and watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful, and imagined doing this if she was her daughter. How she longed for the day to hold her baby again.

* * *

Ally woke up to find Regina sleeping in a chair next to her bed. She climbed out of bed and shook the Queen awake. "Regina, wake up. You're gonna get a stiff neck."

Regina slowly opened her eyes and saw the little girl standing over her. She stretched her arms and moved her neck around. "How did you sleep, dear?" Regina asked grabbing one of Ally's hands to hold.

"Better knowing you put a spell on my room." She smiled. "But you didn't have to sleep in here though."

Regina stood and looked down at her. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Ally's eyes lit up. "Thank you." She hugged Regina but quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry."

"I like the hugs." Regina said unexpectedly.

"You do?" She asked surprised.

Regina smiled and nodded. Ally jumped into the Queen's arms making Regina stumble back a bit as she let out a cry of surprise. Regina had never really received any type of affection from anyone other than her father so getting it from this little girl was so uplifting for her.

* * *

She made sure Allison was okay before she left to head back to her own room. Regina was pacing back and forth thinking about the little girl down the hall when Rumple popped in. "Hello, dearie."

Regina sighed when she heard his unmistakable voice and turned sharply. "What do you want Rumple?"

"I couldn't help but notice the strong spell you put on the girl's room. Any particular reason?"

"Leave her alone, Rumple." She warned.

"Sounds like someone's becoming attached…"

Regina rolled her eyes. "What do you want?" She asked more firmly than before.

"The squid ink."

"Why do you want that anyway?" She inquired.

"That's none of your business, now give it here." Regina sauntered over to her vanity and pulled it out of her vanity drawer. She tossed it to him. "There. Now get out of here and don't come back!"

"There's one more thing I want…"

Regina put her hands on her hips waiting for him to talk. "I want the girl." He said darkly.

Regina shook her head. "You are not getting Allison…and it's not up for negotiation." She growled.

"You love this child, don't you Regina?" He asked as he began circling her.

Regina gritted her teeth. "Get out Rumple, I'm warning you!"

"O0o0o testy…remember what mommy always said, dearie. 'Love is weakness'." The words rang through her ears. She heard that phrase constantly growing up; it was drilled into her head from day one. "Goodbye Rumple."

Rumple smiled. "Goodbye Regina." He leaned close to her, their faces inches apart. "And I will be getting that child." He disappeared before she could respond.

She felt a lump in the back of her throat. She didn't want anything to happen to this girl but she knew Rumple wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. _Why does he want Allison?_


	13. Chapter 13 Learning Something New

Chapter 13: Learning Something New

Ally hadn't been sleeping well for the past week. She was having nightmares every night but she wouldn't dare tell anyone, especially Regina. She wanted to prove that she was a big girl and that she could overcome this on her own. She wanted to tell Xander but he hadn't shown up in the kitchens for the past week and she couldn't understand why. _I hope Regina didn't have anything to do with this. What if something bad happened to him. _This thought made her stomach turn.

She was eager to talk to him and just simply hangout. There was only so much reading, drawing and chess playing she could do before growing board.

"Has he showed up yet, Monica?" She asked eagerly as she entered the kitchens.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not, sweetie. I'll let you know if he does."

Ally hung her head low and made her way back to her room. She flopped on her bed and sighed. She decided to take a nap since she didn't get much sleep the night before.

Tara lightly shook her awake about 45 minutes later and told her that Monica had sent for her. She rubbed her eyes and ran back down to the kitchens. "Well?"

"He's coming up the hill now, Miss Ally." Monica told her and pointed towards the door.

Ally grabbed a coat, or hooded cape in this world, and ran out the door. She stood at the top of the hill.

"Allison!" Xander called as he climbed the hill as fast as he could.

"What is it?" She asked when he reached her.

"The mage is requesting to see you." He told her breathlessly.

She looked confused. "Why would he want to see me?"

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me but it sounded important." He urged.

She shook her head. "Wait a minute. Is that the only reason you came here? To tell me that?" She sounded mad. "Where the hell have you been this past week?" She shoved him.

"Allison, calm down." He said putting his hands up in self-defense. "I have a good reason…"

"Let's hear it then." She demanded placing her hands on her hips.

He looked down at his feet as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, ya see…I met this girl… and…"

"A girl?" She sounded excited. "Who is she? What's her name? Where did you meet her? What is she like?"

"Wow, wow, wow." He put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "One question at a time."

"Well answer one of them!" She said placing her own hands on his shoulders.

"I'll tell you while we walk. We don't want to keep the mage waiting." He said as he held out his arm for her to take.

She quickly hooked arms and began walking. "Story time! Go!"

He chuckled. "Do you remember the storm that hit some time last week?" She nodded. "Well I was on my way up to the castle when it started to down pour so I ran into the nearby forest for shelter. It only got worse so I just kept running and I soon found myself in an enclosed circle with just a tower in the middle."

She stopped in her tracks. "A tower? A tower!" She tugged on his arm as she jumped up and down.

"Yes, I just said that." He eyed her suspiciously. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Let me guess, her name is Rapunzel!?" She was grinning ear to ear.

His jaw dropped. "How did you know her name? Did Regina give you some sort of powers or something?"

She pouted and crossed her arms. "No, she won't teach my magic."

"Maybe that's a good thing." He offered. She glared at him. "Or not… but that doesn't explain how you know her name."

"Did I ever tell you I'm from another world?" She smiled up at him.

He looked shocked. "No, it seems you've forgotten that little detail…how did that happen anyway?"

She waved him off. "Oh, I just fell through a mirror. No big deal."

He shook his head trying to make sense of it all. "But how do you know her name?"

"Oh, well this whole land is written about in stories back in my world. You people are just fictional characters." She said nonchalantly. "Rapunzel just happens to be one of those stories."

"So, how does her story end?" He asked as he pulled her along.

"As far as I know, happily ever after." She replied with a smile.

"Good to know." He smiled back.

She nudged his shoulder. "So did you climb up her long golden hair?"

"Well clearly you know the story so what do you think?"

"I'm guessing yes but what happened next?!" She asked eagerly.

"Oh would you look at that…We're here." He looked across the street to the mage's house. Ally didn't even realize they entered the village. She gulped.

"Nervous?" He asked her.

She nodded. "Just a little…" She admitted.

He re-hooked his arm around hers. "Don't worry. I'll be right by your side."

She just smiled. She felt a little better she wasn't going in there. "Do mage's usually request people like this?"

"Well, no. You would be the first that I know of." He admitted to her which didn't make her feel any better.

She took a deep breath as he led her towards the house. He knocked on the door since she was too scared. The tall mage answered the door.

"I've been expecting you." He said in a deep voice.

They stared to walk in when he stopped them. "Only the girl."

"We're a package deal. It's both or none." He argued.

The mage gave them both a stern look and Ally could tell he was in no mood to deal with any of this. She recognized that face. It was one Regina used to wear on regular basis, especially when they first met.

"It's okay, Xander. I'll be out in a few." She told him.

He looked at her confused. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I'm sure." She said confidently although it was the last thing she felt. She walked into the house as the mage slammed the door in Xander's face. She took the same seat she had the first time she visited the mage.

He sat down across from her. "You and Regina. How's the relationship?"

She bit her lip. "It's a bit up in the air at the moment. This past week has been nice though. We didn't fight at all."

"Hmm." He stroked his chin. "That would explain why I can't see anything."

"Let me guess, your crystal ball is foggy?" She joked.

"Actually it is. I can't see a blessed thing." He put a small bag on the table and pulled out the foggy crystal ball.

She was shocked. "So what does that mean?" She asked unsure of what he actually wanted her for.

"It means I can't see if you are making any progress with the Queen. She needs to be stopped and soon. The impending curse will ruin everything."

"Yes, I'm well aware." She said angrily as she gritted her teeth.

"Then what is taking so long?" He complained.

"It's not exactly easy warming up to the Queen, ya know! I'm working on it." She fired back.

He smirked. "It's a good thing you're falling in love with her or this would be much harder."

She glared at him. "Is this all you called me down for? To find out how things are going in the castle because your crystal ball is foggy?" She asked in disbelief.

"Actually no. I do have other reasons for requesting your presence."

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Please, do tell."

He pulled out a round golden clock looking type of device from the same bag the crystal ball came out of.

"Do you have Mary Poppins magic bag or something?" She asked seeing that he was pulling things out of it left and right. "What else is in that thing?" She began peering into it but he quickly snapped it shut and moved it to the floor next to him.

She leaned back in her chair once again waiting for him to explain what else he had her there for. He placed the golden circle in front of her.

She looked at it then back to him. "What do you want me to do, tell you what time it is?"

He sighed and pushed it closer to her. "Just open it, would you."

She rolled her eyes but complied. She saw a whole bunch of different symbols around it with three red arrows and one blue on in the middle. "Is it a compass of sorts?"

He nodded and folded his hands in front of him. "Indeed. You mustn't let Regina know you have it."

"Okay…and what do you want me to do with it?" She asked still confused with what he was aiming to achieve.

"Read it." He said simply.

She held it in her hands and looked down at it. "How do I read it? You're not making any sense."

He was growing frustrated. "It tells the truth to the person who holds the gift within them. There are very few who can read it."

"And you think I am one of those people?" She asked surprised.

"I do." He said firmly.

"What makes you believe I can read this silly thing?" She stood up.

"What makes you think you can't?" He responded. She looked back to the device in her hands. "Don't believe?"

She put it back on the table and slid it towards him. "Look, I don't have magic or anything like that so how on earth will I be able to read it?"

"You have a gift." He insisted.

"And how would you know that?"

He stood up and strolled over to his book shelf. "You fit the prophecy."

She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "What the hell are you talking about?" She whined.

He knew she would ask that question so he pulled out a book that had all she needed to know. He turned to page 548 and placed it in front of her. She sat back down and began reading. After a few minutes she looked back up to the mage who stood there with his arms across his chest.

"You think I'm the child to fulfill this prophecy?" She asked in disbelief.

"You're from another world and you are changing a darkened heart. Those are just two things you fulfill so far." He pointed out.

"How do you know I'm from another world?" She asked suspiciously.

He shrugged his shoulders. "You give off a vibe-I'm very sensitive to people's auras."

She rolled her eyes "Okay, but I don't fill the other requirements such as knowing a boy who fits that description: brown hair, brown eyes, someone who has the heart of the truest believer and…"

He cut her off. "But you will. In the future, things take time but they will fall into place eventually. I don't the when or how but they will."

She shook her head and stood up once again. "This still doesn't make sense to me. There is no way me and this boy will save everyone."

"That's because _you _don't believe."

"Is that why I need the truest believer to help me believe?" She questioned.

"Precisely. Now try to read it." He instructed.

"But I don't know how." She protested. He frowned and pointed to the golden compass on the table. She grunted as she sat back down.

She picked the device up in her hands. "At least give me a clue…"

"Think of a question you want answered and turn the three red arrows to the symbols that most resemble your question. Close your eyes and hold the question in your mind but don't grasp for the answers, let them come to you."

She moved the arrows then closed her eyes but the blue arrow didn't move. She looked back up to him. "See. I'm not the girl you're looking for.

He slammed his hands on the table making her jump. "Try harder."

She looked at him fearfully and knew she had better make this thing work or this guy would flip shit in a minute. She took a deep breath and thought of her question while she moved the arrows around. She watched the blue arrow go to three other symbols for the answer just before images flashed before her eyes like she was watching a movie. When the images had finally subsided she felt dizzy and light-headed.

"What did you see?" He pressed her for the answers.

She was holding her head. "I saw…I saw…"

"Yes, yes…you saw what?" He asked eagerly.

"The baby…Her baby." She whispered.

* * *

Xander was anxiously waiting for her to emerge. To him it felt like an eternity but she was only in there for a half hour or so. He was pacing back and forth when he heard the door open and saw Ally come out with her head hanging low.

He ran up to her quickly. "What did he want? Is everything okay? You look horrible."

"Thanks." She said solemnly.

"So what's going on? And what's that in your hand?" He asked pointing to the compass.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you on the way to Rapunzel's tower." She said with a sigh.

"You wanna meet her?" He asked in disbelief.

"Well, yea. Now is as good as any other time to meet the girl of your dreams." She nudged him slightly giving him a sly smile.

He laughed. "Are you sure you're up for it? You look a little pale."

"Yea, I'm sure. Let's go." She held out her arm for him which he accepted gracefully.

* * *

"He really thinks you're some sort of magical kid?" Xander asked her as they were nearing the tower and she had finished explaining what had happened.

"Just one who can read this golden yet heavy compass." She said as she raised the device in her hand. "No magic is required apparently. Besides, you said only special people can use magic, and clearly I am not one of those people."

"You're a special person to me, Ally. There's definitely something magical about you." He squeezed her free hand making her smile. "So did you ever ask Regina about her baby?"

"Yea, about that…"

"What did she do?" He asked grabbing her shoulders.

"She wasn't to happy, lets just leave it at that." She said looking anywhere but his eyes.

"Did she use magic on you?" He asked more firmly.

She shoved his hands off od her and began walking again. "Look, she had every right to use magic on me. I really shouldn't have said anything. It's a sensitive subject. We made up, everything's fine."

He caught up to her. "Everything is not fine, Allison. This is an unhealthy relationship for you. If she loves you she shouldn't be using magic on you."

"It's over and done with. Moving on so drop the subject."

He sighed and looked out in front out him. "Well…there's the tower."

Her mouth dropped. She couldn't believe she was standing in front of Rapunzel's tower.

"Someone looks happy." Xander commented on her shocked face.

"Cuz I am! Come on!" She began pulling him toward the tower but then suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" Xander asked.

"What if Mother Gothel is there?" She asked fearful of the powerful woman in the story of Rapunzel.

He gripped her shoulders. "Relax. Rapunzel said she won't be back until next Tuesday." He began pulling her again towards the tower.

She looked up. "Okay. Say those magic words." She told him.

He looked over to her. "What magic words?"

She turned her head to face him. "Ya know…'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair so I may climb the golden stair'…"

He shook his head. "I've never said that…"

"What!" She waved her hand. "No, you're doing this all wrong…You have to yell that up to her and then her golden hair will come pouring over the tower giving you the opportunity to climb up and rescue her from a life of loneliness. Now do it." She demanded and looked back up while she waited for him to say the 'magic' words.

"You're really bossy, you know that?"

"Yea, I've been told that before…now do it."

He sighed and held his hands up to his mouth so his voice would travel. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair so I may climb the golden stair…"

They waited a moment before they saw someone peer out the window. "Xander? Is that you?" Rapunzel called down.

"Yea, it's me." He yelled back.

"Why did you yell that? It's not what you usually say when you want to come up here." She responded.

Xander looked over to Ally with an 'I told you so' look on his face.

She glared at him. "Oh shut up."

He smirked and looked back up to Rapunzel. "So can we come up? I brought a friend with me."

Rapunzel let down her long golden hair and Xander began climbing at once. Ally started to climb but noticed she wasn't two feet off the ground when she got scared. She dropped to the ground knowing that her fear of heights that high would definitely win over her desire to meet Rapunzel.

She walked around the tower and noticed there were vines covering part of it. She cleared them away and found a wooden door. She knew it would be locked so she grabbed a nearby rock and began pounding the door. It eventually unlocked and she started to climb the stairs.

Xander wiped the sweat from his brow as he was almost there. He summoned all the strength he had to make the last few pulls up. He hoisted himself up once he reached the window and wrapped Rapunzel in a hug.

"Hey Xander. Took you long enough." Ally said as she sat on a sofa across from the couple.

He was so confused. "How did you get up here before me?"

"I took the stairs…" She pointed to the cellar door in the corner.

He sighed. "There were stairs?" He asked Rapunzel in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just assumed you liked climbing up my hair…" Rapunzel replied as she shrugged her shoulders.

Xander made his way over to sit beside Ally, clearly exhausted from his trip up. "Why didn't I think to look for stairs..."

"Because you're not as smart as I am." Ally giggled as she poked him in the stomach.

Rapunzel noticed how the two interacted. "So who's your friend, Xander?" She asked him while looking at Ally.

Ally noticed some sort of jealous tone in her voice. "My name is Allison." She got up and made her way over to her. "Xander and I are friends. I'm really excited to meet you…Xander told me so much about you."

"Really?" She asked looking hopeful. "He told me about you too."

"He really likes you." She whispered although Xander heard her. His face turned red when Rapunzel looked at him.

Ally smiled. "I'm gonna give you two sometime alone." She said as she made her way towards the stairs. She remembered she wanted to do something first. She ran over and hugged Rapunzel making her gasp. "Sorry. I just have a thing for iconic fictional characters and had to do it."

Rapunzel looked utterly confused. "I'll explain some other time." Ally reassured her before exiting.

Rapunzel joined him on the sofa and cuddled into his arms. "You know I was worried about her but after meeting her, she seems really nice."

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "She is. Wait till you actually get to know her."

"I'd really like that." She replied.

"Come with us." He told her.

She sat up quickly. "What?"

"Yea, come with us! We can live together forever." He said excitedly.

"But we're only 15." She argued.

"That just means we have longer to be together." He shot back. "You hate it here in this tower, you told me so yourself."

"True." She agreed. He leaned in and kissed her unexpectedly his hands tangled in her long hair.

She lightly pushed him back. "Mother will be angry…She has powerful magic, ya know."

"Are you really going to let her dictate what you do for the rest of your life? She keeps you locked in this tower all alone. It not fair to you." He grabbed her hands. "You won't get to experience adventure, travel, see the world…"

"Okay." She cut him off.

"What?" He asked shocked.

"I'll come with you." She said smiling. He was so excited he began kissing her again easing her down on the sofa as he climbed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to deepen the kiss.

Ally burst through the cellar doors making them jump. "Sorry to kill the mood but that witch of a mother is on her way back."

"Mother's back?" Rapunzel sat up quickly looking frightened.

"Yea, and she doesn't look to happy." Ally responded.

"You said she wouldn't be back until next Tuesday." Xander said to Rapunzel. "I must've gotton the dates mixed up. You two need to leave now."

"How would you like us to escape?" Ally asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Rapunzel." Mother Gothel called from the bottom of the tower. "Let down your hair to me."

"She'll see us if we go down the stairs." Xander said as he threw up his hands. "What if we hide somewhere?"

Ally looked around. "It's not the best place to play hide and go seek, Xander."

"She'll find you in a matter of minutes." Rapunzel added.

"Rapunzel!" Mother Gothel called again.

"There's no time. You need to take the stairs and be quick about it." Rapunzel said as she pushed them towards the cellar doors.

Rapunzel quickly gathered her hair and threw it out the window. She looked down but her mother wasn't there anymore. "Oh no." She began pulling up her hair when Ally and Xander came back through the cellar doors.

"How did you find this place?" Mother Gothel growled as she made her way through the doors.

"We, we just…stumbled upon it." Xander choked out.

"Lies!" Mother Gothel yelled.

"Mother, please." Rapunzel begged.

"Did they hurt you my flower?" She asked gently as she wrapped Rapunzel in a hug.

"No mother. They're my friends. Please don't hurt them." She asked pleadingly as she stared into her mother's eyes.

"Rubbish." She pushed Rapunzel behind her. "I'm all you need." She turned her attention back to the other children. "Now, to deal with the two of you…"

Xander put a protective arm in front of Ally. "Look ma'am, I'm in love with your daughter and…"

"Bah! What do you know about love, boy?" Mother Gothel rolled her eyes.

"I know that every time I look into Rapunzel's eyes I feel like it's only the two of us in the room. We connect in ways like no other…"

"Enough!" She yelled and waved her hand making him fly into the wall.

Ally and Rapunzel shrieked. "Mother!" Rapunzel yelled as she ran over to him. Ally began tearing up but she was too scared to move.

"Oh Rapunzel, he isn't worth it." Mother Gothel put her hands on her hips and sighed.

"He is mother, I love him." Rapunzel shouted back.

Mother Gothel grew furious. She grabbed Ally by her hair and pulled her towards the window. "Kill him, Rapunzel."

"What?" She asked in disbelief as she held his head in her lap.

"Kill him now or the girl dies." Mother Gothel threatened as she held Ally half way out the window. Ally had tears coming down her face. "Please don't." She begged the older woman but she wasn't letting up.

"Mother, why are you doing this?" Rapunzel sobbed.

"Because Rapunzel, this is not the life I want for you."

"But it's my life, this is what I want!" She yelled.

Mother Gothel pushed Ally a little further out the window making her scream slightly.

"Let her go." A deep sultry voice erupted from the darkness. Mother Gothel quickly turned around and she held a knife towards Ally's neck. "What?"

Regina emerged from the shadows clearly pissed. "Did I stutter? Let her go!" She said firmly.

"Regina." Ally whispered. She has never been so happy to see the Queen.

"Or what?" Mother Gothel questioned. "What is she to you?"

"Don't worry about it, just give her back." Regina replied as she extended her hand.

Mother Gothel put the knife closer to Ally's throat and held her more firmly. "This doesn't concern you, Regina. Get out of my house!"

Regina dropped her hand. "Oh, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this…but alas…" Regina turned her hand quickly snapping Mother Gothel's neck, killing her in the process.

"What did you do to my mother?!" Rapunzel yelled and ran over to her mother's lifeless body.

"I did what was necessary to save my little girl." Regina replied making her way over to Ally who was still trembling with fear.

Rapunzel was a mess. She didn't know whether to grieve or be happy she was finally free from her mother. Xander slowly made his way over to her and held her in his arms trying to comfort her.

"Allison." Regina called. "We must go."

"At least teleport them to his house please." Ally said looking down at her friends.

Regina rolled her eyes at her request but worked her magic anyhow teleporting the two kids to his house while Ally and herself back to her bed chamber.

Ally took her coat off with the golden compass still inside and handed it to a maid. She told her to take it to her room immediately for she needed to talk with Queen. Once the maid was gone, she ran over to Regina and wrapped her arms around her.

"Thank you so much for saving me." Ally whispered into Regina's shoulder.

Regina wrapped her arms tightly around the young girl pulling her close. "I was so worried about you, dear."

"I'm sorry." Ally cried. "How did you know where I was?" She asked looking up to Regina.

Regina wiped the tears away as she held her face in her hands. "I saw you in my mirror and thank goodness I did or I would've lost you."

"You can't get rid of me that easily." Ally smiled.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that." Regina smiled back as she stroked her cheek. "But why did you wander off without the guards?"

"I got caught up in seeing Xander and totally forgot." She explained.

Regina closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't want to do this to you, Allison but I need you to stay in the palace from now on."

"But why? I promise I'll follow the rules." She said as her big honey brown eyes stared up at Regina.

Regina didn't want to tell her about the threat Rumplestiltskin had made. "I have many enemies that want to hurt me so that means hurting someone I love…"

"Me?" Ally questioned.

Regina grabbed her hands and nodded. Ally beamed with happiness. "I love you too, Regina." Hearing this made Regina's heart flutter.

"I have something for you, Allison." Regina held out her hand and a little black box appeared. "Open it."

Ally took the box from her hand and couldn't believe what she saw. "A ring! A butterfly ring!" She jumped with excitement.

"Do you like it, dear?" Regina asked hopefully.

Ally slipped it on her right index finger. "I love it!" She gave Regina another hug. "Best gift ever!"

Regina held her close as Ally settled nicely under the Queen's chin. She enchanted Allison's ring so that nothing can hurt her as long as she wore it. She didn't want anything to happen to her child, yes she now considered Allison to be her own little girl. She kissed the top of her forehead. "I love you, darling, with all my heart."

**Okay, so what are you thinking? How was this chapter?**


	14. Chapter 14 Nightmares

Chapter 14: Nightmares

Ally talked Regina into taking her to visit Xander and Rapunzel. She wanted to make sure they were okay since everything had happened so fast a few days ago. Regina waited outside while Ally went in to visit.

"You look exhausted." Xander said to Ally when he saw her tired face and the bags under her eyes.

"I haven't really been sleeping well…" She admitted.

"Why? What's up?" He asked as he pulled out a seat for her to sit in.

She sighed as she sat in the chair. "It's a combination of things…ever since I used that golden compass thing I haven't been feeling well and Rumplestilskin haunts me in my dreams. Even though Regina put a protection spell over the castle, he's still getting to me and it doesn't help that I'm kinda homesick."

"Why haven't you told Regina any of this?" He asked her. "I thought you trusted her now?"

"I don't wanna bother her with this. I'm afraid if I give her a hard time she will throw me out." She replied sadly.

"She kept you after _all _the trouble you caused before…why would she get rid of you now?" He asked her.

"Well I didn't care then if she kept me or not but I do now. I love her Xander, and I don't want to screw anything up." She said trying to get him to understand.

He really didn't know what to say to her confession. "Maybe you shouldn't use the compass anymore…" He suggested. "If Regina put a protective spell over the castle then I'm sure you're fine. She's very powerful."

"But so is Rumplestiltskin, or so I'm told. He threatened me, ya know." She looked up at him with terror in her eyes.

He waved her off. "Empty threat." He knew the Dark One always followed through but he didn't want to worry her more than she already was so he remained calm.

"Hopefully." She pulled her feet on the chair and hugged her knees tight. She didn't want to talk about her problems anymore, that is not what she came here to do. "How is she doing?" Ally asked Xander in a low whisper following the golden hair tail that led to Rapunzel who was still in bed curled up in a ball.

He put his hands in his pockets. "She's still in shock. She knows Mother Gothel would've killed you if Regina didn't intervene but she still misses her."

Ally nodded. "I understand. She was still her mother."

"Just give her some time…I bet we'll be up to see you by weeks end." Xander said with a reassuring smile.

"I'm not allowed out anymore." Ally said sadly. "Regina has too many enemies that would want to hurt me so she wants to keep me safe."

Xander looked at her suspiciously. "Are you sure she just doesn't want to deal with all the trouble you get yourself into?"

She shoved him lightly. "You're the one who took me to the tower and got us caught by Gothel!"

"Only after you insisted on visiting." He countered.

She shook her head. "That just goes to show that you shouldn't _always _listen to me."

"If I didn't take you to the tower you would've kept bugging me until I did, so I saved us both the trouble and time and just listened to you in the first place."

She thought about it for a moment. "Yea, you're probably right."

He crossed his arms and smiled. "Oh, I know I'm right."

She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Is she staying with you from now on?"

He nodded. "Yea, I talked to my mom and we are going to try to work everything out. I'm going to have to work more though. Do you know if Regina has any other openings at the castle that I could be able to fill?"

"I'm sure she can find something for you. Come by tomorrow and I'll set you up." She said smiling.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." He smiled back.

"It's what friends are for, right?" She jokingly punched him.

He put his hands on her shoulders. "If you ever need a place to stay or need to get away from the castle, you know you are more than welcome to come here."

She nodded and gave him a weak smile. "Thanks, Xander."

"And get some sleep!" She gave him a hug and then made her way out to Regina.

She approached Regina with her head hanging low. "What's the matter, darling?"

Ally shook her head. "Nothing." She said solemnly.

Regina tilted her head knowing she was lying. "Honey, I know you well enough to know when something is wrong."

"It's nothing, really" She reassured her. Regina didn't believe her but she didn't want to address the issue while they were out in public. She teleported them back to the castle.

"Thanks for taking me." She forced a smile. "I'm gonna go take a nap."

Regina grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Do you feel alright, dear? You don't look so well." She placed a hand on her forehead feeling for her temperature.

"I'm just a little homesick is all…" She wasn't lying, just telling Regina the least bit that was troubling her.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" The Queen asked hopefully. She didn't want her little girl to be depressed.

Ally shook her head. "No, I'll be fine." She assured her.

Regina looked at her with saddened eyes before wrapping her in a hug. It's what Ally did to the Queen when she wasn't having good day so Regina thought she would return the hug. Ally smiled. "Thanks, Regina. A hug from you will always make things better."

Regina smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead. "Feel better, dear. If you need me, don't hesitate to call." Ally nodded before slowly walking back to her room.

She didn't want anyone to bother her so she snuck into the nursery again. She dusted off a day bed by the fireplace that hadn't been lit since the last time she and Xander first found it.

_I'm just gonna close my eyes for 15 minutes and then I'll do something productive. _

Those 15 minutes turned into two hours. She sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"I was beginning to think you were never going to wake." A voice from the other side of the room said.

Ally recognized that voice anywhere; it haunted her in her dreams. "How did you get in here?!"

The fireplace suddenly lit up allowing light to shine upon her face and his. "Regina's magic is no match for my own. It was simple, really."

_If Regina's magic couldn't stop him then what could? He's already haunting my dreams and that was before I knew he could get in here so easily. _"What do you want Rumple?" She growled trying to summon up all her courage.

"Now, Now, no need to get snippy." He said wagging his finger at her. "I came to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" She questioned.

He giggled. "Why, the Queen of course!"

"What are you talking about?" She sighed. She was too tired to deal with this man and his games.

"The Queen is planning to cast a curse…" He began.

"So I've heard…" She mumbled.

He continued. "And this curse requires her to sacrifice the thing she loves most."

_I didn't hear that part. _"So what are you saying?" She interrupted.

"I've noticed how attached you and the Queen have become and I can't help but feel it's going to come to a tragic end."

Ally was growing frustrated. "Can you just spit it out? What are you trying to tell me?!"

He frowned. "She's going to rip your heart out. You're going to die."

Her jaw dropped. "What?" She asked shocked.

"I'm giving you one last chance to escape this world, dearie, I suggest you take it."

_He's giving me a chance to go back home-but he lied before, he can do it again…and then there's Regina. _She shook her head shaking her thoughts away. "No, I'm not leaving Regina." She said firmly.

Rumpled smirked. "Don't believe me about the curse?"

"Oh, I believe you about that but I can change her, make her not want to cast the curse." She stood with her hands in fists.

"She has a dark heart, dearie, one that is not easily changed." He reminded her.

"Well, we'll just see about that now won't we." She said putting her hands on her hips.

"I see you have made your decision…"

"Yes, I have." She said firmly.

"You'll regret it, dearie."

She ignored him. "I know what you did to Regina's baby. The truth about the part you played."

He was truly shocked but he masked his expression. "And how would you know anything about that?"

She wasn't going to tell him about the golden compass. "Secrets have a way of being dug up."

He nodded in agreement. "So they do, but it doesn't explain how you know of the baby."

"It's really none of your concern." She said confidently not backing down.

He was growing irritated with this girl. He waved his hand and vanished in a puff of red smoke. _That little girl is ruining everything! She needs to go, if she tells Regina about the baby it will ruin everything. One way or another I am going to get what I want._

Once he was gone, she let out a huge breath. She was hoping she didn't appear weak in front of him but she was scared for her life. _Was he really telling the truth about Regina? I don't know how much of this I can handle…_

* * *

She went to bed that night praying she wouldn't have the same terrifying nightmares she has been having about Rumplstilstskin. He really scared her and he knew it. Ally asked Tara to leave the fire going throughout the night so it would act like a night light for her. She didn't tell Tara that though. She said she just wanted to keep her room warm and Tara believed her.

Regina was peacefully reading a book in the library with her father when a guard ran in. "My queen, there is something wrong with the girl. She just started screaming and crying."

Regina jumped up as quickly as she could and headed towards the door followed by her father.

"Tara is with her now. She told us to get you." The guard explained as they walked swiftly to Ally's room. Regina didn't respond. Her only concern was for Allison.

She stormed into the room and saw Tara talking to the bathroom door. "What happened?" The Queen asked Tara.

"She won't come out, Your Majesty. I don't know what's wrong. We just heard her scream and came running." Tara replied. "And now she locked herself in the bathroom."

Regina knocked on the door. "Honey, open the door." She waited for Ally to reply or open the door but she didn't do either. She only heard sobbing coming from the other side.

With a quick wave of her hand, the door unlocked. She opened it to find Ally cowering in the corner. "Sweetheart, what happened?" She asked gently.

"I'm sorry." Ally said crying as she hugged her knees tight.

"Tara would you mind giving us a minute." Regina said keeping her eyes on Ally in the corner. Tara nodded and bowed out.

Regina reached her hand out for Ally to grab. "You're not mad?" Ally sniffled.

"Why would I be mad?" Regina asked looking confused.

Ally shook her head as tears continued to spill over. "I'm so sorry."

Regina hated seeing her like this. She knelt down beside her as she cautiously put a hand on Ally's knee. "Honey, is there something you wish to tell me?"

Ally shook her head. "No, I'll be fine."

Regina didn't believe that for one minute. "Allison, you're trembling." She could feel the girl shaking beneath her. Regina grabbed her hand and pulled her up leading her back to her bed. Regina sat beside her as she put her arm around Allison's shoulders trying to calm her down. Ally cuddled close to Regina as she nestled against her chest.

"Tell me what this is all about, darling." Regina said stroking her hair.

Ally wasn't planning on telling the Queen anything but it just came out. She felt so comfortable and vulnerable around Regina that she just couldn't hide it from her any longer. "I've been having nightmares." She wouldn't dare look into Regina's eyes so she remained resting on her chest. "That's why I have been so tired."

"What are these about?" Regina was dying to know what was tormenting her to the point where she was afraid to go to sleep.

"Rumplestiltskin." Ally choked out. Regina gritted her teeth. She was pissed that even in her dreams he was still torturing her child.

Regina pulled her close to comfort her. "Don't worry, dear. I'll protect you. You're safe with me." She kissed the top of Ally's head. "You'll always be safe with me."

"He was here." Ally whispered.

Regina pushed her up a little to look into her tear-filled eyes. "What do you mean he was here?" She asked in a low voice, almost a growl.

"He broke your spell." She sobbed. "Why does he want me?"

"I don't know, baby." She pulled her close. "But I will stop him."

Ally tucked her head under Regina's chin and wrapped her arms around her waist. "I love you, Regina."

"I love you too, my little butterfly." Regina replied gently rocking her back and forth. "Everything's going to be fine. I've got you."

"Are you really going to enact the curse?" Ally asked once she calmed down a bit.

"Did _he_ tell you about the that?" Regina asked a little annoyed as she wiped away Ally's remaining tears.

It wasn't the first time she heard about the curse but it was a good enough excuse so she went with it. She nodded. "He said you need to sacrifice something you love in order for this curse to work…are you going to kill me?"

Regina looked horrified. "No! Of course not!" She grabbed her hands.

"I would be like really mad at you if you did go through with it." Ally admitted. "Ripping everyone from this world and taking away their happy endings is not the way to solve your problems."

"But you'll be back in your own world; you said you were homesick earlier. I can take you back there." Regina countered.

"But nobody will remember anything-all their memories will be gone. It's not how I want to return to my land. Please don't do it." Ally begged.

"Relax, dear. I'm not going to enact the curse. It was an option but that was before you came into my life. I've done a lot of thinking and I realized I don't need a curse to make me happy, all I need is you, my cute little butterfly."

Ally was beaming with happiness. _I did it! I stopped her! She's changing back into a good person. _

"Now" Regina began. "I couldn't help but notice how close you and Alexander have become. You both are coming of age and might have desires for one another…"

_Is she seriously trying to give me the sex talk right now?_

"But you are still young and you should really wait until you're much older to fulfill those urges…"

Ally out up her hands to stop her from talking. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Please stop talking!"

"What's wrong?" Regina asked.

She wanted to gag. But it was pretty comical to see Regina try to talk to her about the birds and the bees and such. "This conversation…I know about sex and I'm not doing it. Xander is dating Rapunzel not me."

Regina looked shocked. "Oh, well good…the part about you not having sex." She wanted to clarify that part.

"Can we move on? Please?" Ally asked trying to avoid this conversation at all costs.

This was awkward for Regina too. "Yes!" She said quickly. "Why don't I read to you until you fall asleep?

"Could you just stay here holding me instead?" She asked nervously. "I feel better when you're around."

Regina smiled. _She wants me to stay._ "Anything to make you feel better, Allison."

Ally laid back down on the Queen's chest as Regina pulled the covers over them both. She wrapped her arms around her and began humming a soft tune that lulled Ally to sleep within minutes. Regina didn't know her father was watching the entire time. He was proud of how his daughter was warming up to the girl. He knew Allison would be the one to break Regina from her path of darkness and bring her back into the light.

Henry wasn't the only one watching though. Using mirrors to spy on people was the Queen's thing but Rumplesiltskin wasn't opposed to using it every now and then. He couldn't let Regina stray for the dark path-he needed her to stay broken.

He watched as Regina coddled the girl and shook his head in disgust. He was growing impatient and wasn't playing games anymore. He couldn't wait any longer for Regina to enact the curse. This girl was going to have to pay the price one way or another. Since she was stopping Regina from enacting the curse now, he was going to make it that Ally would be the _cause_ for Regina to enact the curse in the days to come. He was planning her downfall and he was going to enjoy it.

**Finally got a chance to finish this chapter-took me longer than usual but I hope you enjoyed!** **If you have any suggestions, ideas, or predictions I would love to hear them!**


	15. Chapter 15 Sick

Chapter 15: Sick

Ally finally got the best sleep she had in days, all thanks to Regina. She told Regina about Xander's predicament and she agreed to give him another job around the castle. Regina also promised she would figure out a way to stop Rumplestilskin from getting to her which put Ally at ease.

She went about her day normally, sketching and playing with Xander and Rapunzel within the castle. She had a nice day, without worrying for once.

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Where is Allison?" Regina asked her father while they were waiting to eat.

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't seen her all day."

"She didn't join me for breakfast, but I assumed she slept in." Regina replied.

"She was supposed to play cards with me after lunch but never showed. I thought she and Xander found a game to play and simply forgot." Henry told his daughter which worried her.

"Nancy!" Regina called. "Where is Allison?"

"Tara said she wanted to be alone so I assume she's in her room, Your Majesty." Nancy replied.

Regina nodded so she left. "I'm going to check on her, daddy. Why don't you get started on dinner." She suggested before exiting the room.

Regina opened the door silently just in case Ally was sleeping. The fire was the only light coming from the room. The curtains were shut tight. Regina thought this was strange. _Allison hates the dark._ She looked over to the bed but she wasn't there. Her eyes shifted to a small figure sitting in a chair that was wrapped up in a blanket by the fire.

She closed the door quietly behind her and walked over to sit in the other chair across from her.

"Are you angry with me, dear?" Regina asked. "You haven't been out of this room all day."

_Her first thought would be that I'm mad at her. _Ally sighed. "No Regina, I am not mad at you."

"Then did something happen? Did Rumplestiltskin get in here again?" Regina asked trying to hide the fear in her voice.

Ally shook her head. "I just don't feel well is all…" She pulled the blanket closer to her.

Regina knelt before her and felt her head. "Honey, you're burning up!"

"I'm so cold." She shivered under the blanket.

Regina stood quickly. "Tara!" She shouted. Tara was at the door in an instant. "Get the doctor right away!" As quick as she arrived, Tara was gone.

Regina knelt back down. "Why didn't you tell someone you didn't feel well?"

"I didn't want to bother anyone or get anyone sick." Ally said before breaking out in a coughing fit.

_That doesn't sound good at all._ "Sweetheart, if you don't feel well you need to tell me right away so we can get you better as soon as possible." Ally only nodded.

"What else is bothering you?" Regina asked wanting to know everything that was wrong with her little girl.

"I'm a little light-headed, I keep coughing, I've thrown up a few times…" She started crying. "I just don't feel good, Regina."

Regina wanted nothing more than to make her all better. She lightly moved Ally over before sitting next to her to wrap her in a hug. "I know baby. We're gonna get you back on track in no time." She smoothed her hair back. Ally began coughing again which worried Regina. "Crying will only make things worse, darling." She said rocking her back and forth.

Tara led the doctor through the door. "Finally!" Regina said sounding a little annoyed.

The doctor ignored her comment. "Could you move her to the bed please, Your Majesty?"

Regina helped Ally up but kept the blanket tightly wrapped around her as she led her over to the bed.

"Tara, stay with her until I return." Regina instructed.

"Regina?" Ally said weakly wondering where she was going.

"I'll only be a moment, my little butterfly." She told her before leaving.

Once the she was in her room with the door shut, she broke down crying. She couldn't handle seeing Allison like that. Her father walked in to see what was going on and saw her lying on the bed.

"Regina, what's the matter?" He asked once he was beside her.

"Daddy, Allison is sick. I don't know what to do. I sent for the doctor but I don't know what else to do." She cried grabbing his hands.

"You did the right thing, Regina. You can't do anything until the doctor tells you what is wrong with the child." He told her.

"I'm scared, daddy." She admitted.

He rubbed her hand to comfort her. "I know, Princess. It's very scary for a parent whenever your child is sick."

She put her head down. "I hate seeing her like that, daddy. She looks so small and helpless."

"Regina, she needs you right now. No matter what the doctor says you need to go in there and comfort her." He told her firmly. "She's probably scared."

"But so am I, daddy." Regina told him.

He pulled her up. "You need to be the grownup, Regina. Put on your brave face and go in there." She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes before going down the hall. He was never cross or stern with Regina but he was basically a grandfather now and cared a lot for Allison. He was also teaching Regina how to be a parent.

Regina was walking down the hall with Henry close behind when the doctor came out of Ally's room. "What's wrong with her, doctor?" Regina asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid things aren't looking good." He said with a grave look on his face. "She's been poisoned."

Regina and Henry couldn't believe their ears. "She's been…what?" Regina asked in shock.

"There's no cure. She is only going to get worse." The doctor said seriously.

"How much longer does she have, doctor?" Henry asked when he saw that Regina couldn't speak.

"A few days, 4 at most." He replied. "But she will be suffering a great deal."

"Magic." Regina whispered. "Will magic help?"

"It won't cure her but it could ease her suffering a bit. I suggest you spend as much time with her as possible." He said with a heavy heart.

Regina held back her tears, put on a brave face and entered Ally's room. Ally instantly smiled the moment she saw Regina come through the door which melted the Queen's heart. "Thank you, Tara. That will be all for now." Tara bowed and exited.

Regina crawled into bed beside Ally and wrapped her arms around her.

"You're warm." Ally whispered. Regina pulled her tighter to her chest. "Do you need anything, dear?" Regina was desperately trying not to sound upset.

Ally rested her head on Regina's shoulder. "Just you." She suddenly began coughing violently. Regina was rubbing circles on her back to help make her stop. Ally had blood all over the hand that was covering her mouth. Regina grabbed a handkerchief from the nightstand and wiped the blood off of Ally's mouth and hand. Regina knew that coughing up blood was never a good sign.

Ally rested her head on Regina's chest once again. "Allison, I'm going to use magic on you so you won't hurt as much. It won't hurt, I promise."

Ally trusted her so she nodded. Regina waved her hand over Ally's entire body, making sure she didn't miss any part. She felt Ally instantly relax in her arms. She kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep, darling. I'll be right by your side all night."

"I love you, Regina." Ally whispered before her eyes closed for the night.

Regina stroked her hair and lightly rubbed her arm. "I love you too, my little butterfly. Sleep tight."

* * *

Xander and Rapunzel made their way up the hill towards the castle.

"Hey Monica, I brought up the ingredients you asked for from the village." Xander said when he saw Monica enter the kitchen.

"Thank you, Xander." She said sadly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked when he noticed her tone and fallen face.

"Miss Ally, is deathly sick." She said on the verge of tears.

"What?!" He asked shocked.

"She's not going to make it, Xander." She replied.

He wanted to cry. He wrapped his arms around Monica who was about to lose it. "This is horrible." He didn't want to say goodbye to his friend. Rapunzel just rolled her eyes.

"I bet she would like to see you two." Monica told them.

"We should go see her Xander." Rapunzel said grabbing his hand. He nodded and began leading her towards Ally's bed chamber.

He knocked on the door. "Come in." He heard the Queen answer.

He peeked his head in. "Hey." He said softly.

"Look who it is, Allison." Regina said rubbing her shoulder to look up.

It was difficult for her to lift her head off of Regina's lap so the Queen helped her. "Xander!" Her face lit up when she saw him.

He smiled as he and Rapunzel made their way over to her bedside. "How ya feeling?" Rapunzel asked.

"Not too good." She replied truthfully before she coughed up some blood.

Regina quickly covered her mouth with the handkerchief. "Why don't I leave you three alone for an hour or so. I'll send Tara in just in case you need anything, Allison." Ally nodded. Regina helped her adjust on the bed before leaving. She had things to attend to.

* * *

Regina heard the Charming's locked Rumplestilskin in their underground prison and she was going to pay a visit to him.

"Come out, dearie." Rumple called knowing Regina would be paying him a visit shortly. She transformed from a rat into her normal self.

"Why did you do it, Rumple?" She growled as she stormed over to the cell.

He gripped the bars. "Whatever do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"Oh don't play dumb!" She snapped. "You poisoned Allison! Undo it!"

He put his finger to his chin. "Allison…Allison…ooo nope. Doesn't ring a bell."

She grabbed his shirt. "You listen to me you twisted little imp. Tell me how to make her better. Tell me how to heal her!" She yelled.

He wagged his finger at her and smiled. "Now is that the way to get the answers you want?"

She growled in frustration. "Just tell me!"

"Well…perhaps this new world, the world she is from has something that could cure her?" He suggested.

"But that means I would have to cast the curse…."

He scrunched his nose. "Yes ya would."

She shook her head in disbelief. "There's got to be another way…you must have a cure, you bastard."

He put his hand over his chest and dropped his jaw. "Me?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Oh don't play innocent; I know it was you who poisoned her."

He smirked, not actually admitting anything. "Well the only way I know how to cure her would be to enact the curse, dearie, so what are you waiting for? I told you that girl would be your weakness."

Regina was not happy to hear this, it meant sacrificing the thing she loved the most-her father, but it also meant she could get her revenge on Snow White in the process and still save Ally.

* * *

Ally told Xander and Rapunzel that she wanted to rest so they would leave. She didn't know why Rapunzel was acting so weird towards her. _Was it because I'm sick? That doesn't make sense._ She crawled out of bed and over to the secret passageway where she hid the golden compass. She pulled it out and began moving the arrows to fit her question. _Why was Rapunzel acting weird? _

Images didn't flash before her eyes, this time she was taken back to yesterday afternoon. She was like a ghost watching the scene before her. She was watching herself interact with Xander and Rapunzel. _This is too weird. _There was a reason the compass took her back to this time and day so she sat back and watched.

_Rapunzel, Xander and herself were just sitting down to eat lunch. "Xander, would you mind helping me in the kitchen for a moment?" Monica asked him before he started eating. Xander nodded and excused himself._

"_So, Rapunzel, how are you doing?" Ally asked concerned for her friend's health given the recent events._

_Rupunzel put on a fake smile. "Oh I'm alright. How are you doing living with the Evil Queen?"_

_Ally shook her head. "She's not evil, ya know." Rapunzel shrugged her shoulders. "She killed my mother without a second thought."_

"_She did that to protect me, I thought you understood that?" Ally asked._

"_Let's not dwell on the past." Rapunzel said averting her eyes from Ally's._

_Ally sighed. "I'm going to the bathroom."_

_Her ghost self watched herself leave the room. She thought Rapunzel's behavior was a little odd but she assumed it was because of her mother's passing. She watched as Rapunzel pulled out a little vile and poured it into Ally's drink before she began to mix it. She slipped the empty vile back into her pocket and pretended like nothing happened._

_Her ghost self was in shock. She couldn't believe Rapunzel would do that to her. Her real self came back into the room followed by Xander._

"_Don't drink it! Don't drink it!" Her ghost self kept yelling but no one could hear her. She cringed as she watched herself drink the poisoned filled juice knowing it was going to lead to her demise. She felt herself being pulled from the scene, the images slowly fading away as she came back into reality._

"That bitch poisoned me!" Ally said once she realized what Rapunzel had done. "That's why she was acting so weird today."

Ally held her head so the dizziness would stop. She didn't care that she didn't feel good and that the golden compass drained the little energy that she had, she wanted to know more answers. She thought of a new question to ask the golden compass. _Am I going to die? _In more ways than one, the answer was yes, she was going to die.

She leaned her head against the wall. _My life is a joke. Regina probably knows and doesn't want to tell me-the whole palace must know, that's why everyone has been acting strange. You know what, I'm not gonna tell Regina who it was and I'm just going to act like I don't know anything. _She looked down at the compass. _Thank goodness I have this thing-it's the only magic I got and the only thing that tells me the truth._

She just stared at the compass not knowing what to do next. _Wait, if I am part of that silly prophecy the mage was talking about then I can't die, right? I'll make it…somehow, I hope._

She had one more question to ask. _Did Regina lie to me and is she going to cast the curse? _She heard movement outside her room before she could get the answer. She quickly shoved it back into her hiding spot and jumped on the bed pulling up the covers in the process. Getting out of bed and working with the golden compass took a lot out of her, she felt worse than before.

Regina peeked her head in and saw Ally propped up in bed.

"Regina, come in." Ally said tiredly.

"How are you feeling, dear?" She asked her as she climbed in the bed next to her.

_Sad, depressed, pissed off, angry, annoyed, hurt, betrayed. _"Tired and dizzy." She replied.

Regina took a deep breath before guiding Ally's head against her chest. "Just rest, my love."

"But that's what I've been doing, Regina. I don't wanna be sick anymore." She started to cry.

Regina held her head and rested her own on top of Ally's. "Shh, it's okay. Everything's going to be fine."

"How can you say that? You don't know what's going to happen." She cried looking up at Regina.

She wiped away her tears. "Hey, hey...I'm the Queen." She leaned her forehead against Ally's. "I know everything ." She started to cry herself. "You're going to be fine."

Ally sobbed. "I don't wanna leave you, Regina."

Regina pulled her close once again. "You won't baby. I won't allow it."

"Don't cast the curse…I'll be mad at you." Ally whispered. Regina didn't answer. She just continued holding her until Ally fell asleep.

**I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think. Happy Holidays everyone:)**


	16. Chapter 16 There's No Going Back

Chapter 16: There's No Going Back

After Ally fell asleep, Regina snuck into her secret room filled with magic books. She was hoping to find a cure for the sick child instead of casting the curse but she couldn't find any. There was one that involved using the blood of a living relative of the sick person but since Ally was from another world it wouldn't work. Things weren't looking good for Regina. She knew Ally would be mad at her for casting it but she was running out of time and options.

Ally had asked to see Rapunzel that morning. She wanted to confront her about the poison but she told Tara she just wanted to talk to her friend one last time because she was getting weaker. It was true, she was going to die pretty soon and she wanted to say everything to everyone before she did.

Rapunzel knocked and peeked her head through the door. Ally waved her in for it was too tough to speak and she was saving her voice and energy to yell at her.

"How are you feeling, Allison?" Rapunzel asked in a sweet voice.

Ally rolled her eyes. "You can cut the shit, I know you poisoned me."

"Why would you think that?" She asked still acting innocent.

"I just know it was you!" She snapped. She wasn't going to tell her about the compass. "Why the hell did you do it?"

Rapunzel was already angry. Her answer just flew out of her mouth. She hated Ally and Regina and she wanted to hurt them. "It's your fault my mom is dead. Regina took away someone I love so I'm taking away someone she loves."

"You're still hung up on that?" Ally asked in disbelief before coughing. "I thought you understood why Regina killed her….SHE WAS GOING TO KILL ME!"

"I WISH SHE _HAD_ KILLED YOU!" She screamed back.

"You do realize you wouldn't be able to be with Xander if your mom was still here." Ally pointed out trying to remain calm.

Rapunzel shook her head frustrated that Ally was right. She stormed over to her beside and got in her face. "You're going to get what you deserve!"

"You know, I could just tell Regina what you did and you're as good as dead." Ally gave her a fake smile as Rapunzel's eyes grew wide. She didn't realize that. "But I'm not going to do that." Ally continued. "I'm going to be the bigger person and forgive you."

"So you're not going to tell Regina?" She was making sure.

"No, I'm not." She coughed. "Consider yourself lucky…bitch." She pushed her out of her face and started coughing violently.

Rapunzel smiled wickedly. "You should really conserve your energy, Allison. You're not going to last much longer." She walked out of her room feeling more confident than ever. Ally laid her head back down on her pillow and let out a sigh. She knew it would be any day now.

* * *

Regina was pacing back and forth in her room, trying to come up with a solution to her major problem.

"Regina, why don't you ask your…"Henry didn't get a chance to finish before Regina interrupted.

"Do not bring up that woman!" She snapped. "I won't be asking her anything! Besides, it would take too long to travel to Wonderland and back. We don't have that kind of time and we don't know if she has anything that would help. I am _not_ taking chances. I need something that will work right now!"

Henry nodded. "Okay princess, what do you suggest we do?"

Regina stood in the middle of her room. Her head dropped and she began to sob. "I don't know, daddy."

He wrapped her in a hug. "You'll figure something out."

"The only way I know how is to enact the curse and that means sacrificing the thing I love most." She cried into his shoulder.

"Me." He answered in realization. Regina pulled back and looked her father in the eyes. "I can't do it, daddy. I can't lose you."

Henry stood in silence for a minute. "You must, Regina. You have to save my granddaughter."

"But daddy…" Regina tried to protest but he silenced her. "No, Regina. This is the way it has to be. You need to do this." Regina looked at him with unsure eyes. He kissed her cheek. "Just let me have some time with her."

He left her standing in the middle of her room. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move. She couldn't believe this is what it had to come to. She found it very hard to breathe.

* * *

Henry knocked on Ally's door before entering. "Hi Henry!" She said as cheerful as she could with a grin on her face. No matter how horrible she was feeling, the old man managed to bring a smile to her face every time.

He kissed her head before sitting on the edge of her bed. "Hi, little princess."

"I'm glad you came to visit me." She said giving him a cheeky smile.

He smiled right back. That was definitely something he was going to miss, her smile. "I came in here hoping you were well enough to play a hand of cards with me."

She sat up a little more. "Anything for you Henry."

"Call me grandpa, please?" He wanted to hear her say it, at least once before he passed. He knew deep within his heart she was his granddaughter and he would do anything for her.

Ally didn't mind at all. "So grandpa, ya gonna deal the cards or what?" She tried laughing but she just coughed.

Henry reveled in it although her cough made his heart ache. He dealt the cards. "Allison, promise me something?"

She was busy looking at her cards so she really wasn't paying attention. "Sure."

"Promise me you'll forgive Regina." He didn't want to tell her she was going to enact the curse or anything like that.

What he said clearly caught her attention. She looked up from her cards with wide eyes. "Why, what did she do?"

He shook his head. "Just promise me."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Okay." She said sounding unsure if she should've made the promise.

They played cards for about an hour. Henry was thinking really hard before discarding. He looked to see Ally's eyes closed. "Your turn, little princess."

Allison didn't respond. He shook her arm but still nothing. "Oh no." He whispered.

"Tara!" He screamed. "Regina!"

Tara came in instantly. "Get Regina, quickly!" He commanded.

He checked her pulse and kept trying to shake her awake but nothing was happening. He began to worry it was too late. Regina came running into the room and saw tears down her father's cheek. "No." She whispered to herself.

She ran over to the bed. "Allison wake up!" She yelled. "Wake up!"

"It's no use, Regina." Henry told her.

She ignored him and slipped her arm under Allison's still warm body. She just held her in her arms crying as she smoothed her hair back. "Please, Allison, please…" She sobbed.

"Regina you have to do it!" Henry said grabbing her arm.

She looked up at him confused. "What?"

"The curse! You have to enact the curse."

"But it's no use." She looked back down to Allison's pale face. "She's gone."

"No, Regina. She still has a pulse. You have to do it now!" He was growing more persistent and very impatient.

Regina laid her down gently, covered her and put her teddy bear next to her before facing her father. "Are you sure about this, daddy?" She gave him a huge hug.

"Regina, there is no time to rethink things." He pulled her back to look into her eyes. She knew he was serious. "I've already made up my mind. I am doing this for my daughter and granddaughter. Now do it!"

Without any further hesitation she plunged her hand into his chest and pulled out his heart as Henry collapsed to the floor. She looked down at him sadly. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

* * *

She quickly gathered the ingredients she needed to enact the curse. She threw her father's heart in last. A ton of black smoke rose high into the sky as the wind picked up drastically. She knew there was no going back now; she had cast the curse and she was going to enjoy it. She knew there was no use sitting with Ally because when she woke up in this new world, she would be mad at her for casting the curse. She decided to pay a visit to Snow and stop her baby from getting away. She didn't want this curse to be for nothing. Saving Ally and getting revenge on Snow-killing two birds with one stone.

She made Tara stay with Ally as she took the carriage ride to Snow and Charming's castle. She was going to enjoy seeing her suffer. As soon as she set foot in the castle, all her rage against Snow came back and that's all she could think about at that moment.

She made her way into the so called nursery Snow had set up for her baby. She saw Snow holding a very wounded Charming in her arms and crying. "Oh, don't worry dear. Pretty soon you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him."

"Why did you do this?" Snow asked sobbing.

Regina bent down to her level. "Because this is _my_ happy ending!" She snapped. Snow closed her eyes as Regina smiled wickedly.

She heard her guards coming into the room. "The child?"

"Gone. It was in the wardrobe but then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found." One of her guards answered much to Snow's relief.

Regina looked back at Snow clearly pissed. "Where is she?"

Snow smiled as she breathed heavily. "She got away." She looked up to Regina. "You're going to lose. I know that now." She looked back down to Charming and held his face in her hand. "Good will _always _win."

Regina tilted her head with a smile on her face as she stared down at Snow. "We'll see about that." She looked to the ceiling and began laughing. Snow heard a loud thunderous sound and looked to the ceiling as well.

The roof began to crumble and black smoke began swirling around them. "Where are we going?" Snow asked, her voice trembling.

"Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible." The black smoke shattered the glass window. "A place where the only happy ending…will be mine." The curse completely engulfed the room and the people in it and then it was dark.

* * *

**Storybrooke 1983**

Regina opened her eyes to find she was in a completely unfamiliar room. She sat up in bed, pushed the covers off and swung her feet over the side. She ran her hands down her light blue silk pajamas then through her now short hair. She ran over to her window and looked out to the new town she was now living in. "I did it." She said with a huge smile on her face.

"Allison." She then remembered. She ran through her house going room to room looking for the sick girl hoping she was well again but she wasn't there. Regina got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. _Where is she? What happened to her?_ She had to find her right away. She ran back to her room and picked out the first thing in her closet. It was a black dress, very different from those back in the Enchanted Forest.

She ran out the door as quickly as she could. She walked fast through the town, not really looking at the scenery. She saw all the people from the Enchanted Forest walking through the streets. "Morning, Madame Mayor." She would hear them say. She received knew knowledge of this world when she enacted the curse. She knew everyone's Storybrooke name but she had to remind herself to call them that.

She realized that Allison must be in the hospital. When she entered, she immediately went to the front desk in search of Allison. "Could you tell me what room Allison is in?"

"Good Morning, Madame Mayor. Do you know the last name of this patient?" The nurse at the front desk asked.

_Allison never told me her last name. _"Um, Duncan." It was the first last name she could think of. She would've given the girl her own name but she didn't know where she stood with Allison. She really wanted to talk to her.

"There's no one here with the name Allison Duncan." The nurse informed her.

_Of course, even she had a new name. _"Rose. Rose Duncan." Rose was her baby's name. She felt it was appropriate.

"She's in room 247, Madam Mayor." Regina nodded and started her way up the stairs.

When she walked into the room, she expected to see Allison awake but she wasn't. She was hooked up to all kinds of machines. She couldn't breathe; it was like she got the wind knocked out of her.

"Is everything alright, Regina?" She heard a voice behind her. She quickly composed herself. "What is wrong with her?" She nodded towards Allison.

Dr. Whale looked at her confused. "Don't you remember? You brought her here. You said she was poisoned. We did everything we could but she is in a coma."

"Will she ever wake up?" Regina asked forcing herself to be strong and put on a mask to hide her emotions.

Dr. Whale sighed. "It's hard to tell. Her mother is keeping her on those machines, hoping for a miracle which may never come."

"Her mother?" Regina felt hurt and confused.

"Diane Duncan; her adoptive mother but loves the girl as her own."

_Diane, Diane…_ She wracked her brain for the person with that new name. _Tara. _She had put her in Tara's care. She knew Ally would be mad at her so she put her with the only other person she trusted with her child and who Ally liked.

"Right, of course." She looked back into the room. "You can go in, Regina. You're a little early today but Diane won't mind."

She looked back to Dr. Whale. "What do you mean I'm early?"

"You visit her every day around 9am. I have to get back to work, but you can go in." He told her before leaving.

Regina walked into the room and made sure no one was looking. She bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry my little butterfly. I didn't know everything would turn out like this."

She held her hand tightly. "This is not how it was supposed to be."

"Madame Mayor!" Regina let go of Ally's hand quickly and spun around. "Oh, Ta…Diane, How are you?"

"Fine." She sounded exhausted as she handed Regina a cup of coffee. "Thank you." This was all new to Regina and she was still trying to comprehend it all. "I…have to go."

"But Regina, you always stay…at least for a few minutes." Diane protested.

"I came early. There's a lot of I have to do at the office today." She gave her a weak smile.

"Are you sure you can't stay awhile longer? I'm sure Rose would like that."

"I can't!" Regina snapped. She didn't mean too but this was all too much for her. Hearing Diane, Tara, refer to her as Rose instead of Allison was just too much. "I can't today." She said slightly more calm than before.

Diane took a step back from Regina. "Okay." Regina turned and walked out. "Thanks for stopping by." She called after her.

**Okay so this was a really hard chapter to write for me. I wasn't sure where I wanted it to go from the last chapter but this is what it turned out to be. Hope you're not too unhappy with where I took it. Please let me know what you think. I love reading your reviews because they help me with future chapters. Love you guys!**


	17. Chapter 17 Confused

Chapter 17: Confused

**Storybrooke 2011**

Emma, Mary Margaret and Henry made their way to the hospital. They were going to see if John Doe woke up only to see the mayor and the sheriff by Dr. Whale's side.

Regina walked out of the room with a pissed off face when she saw them. "What the hell are you doing?" She eyed the blonde up and down. "And you." She said grabbing Henry's arm while leaning down to his level. "I thought you were at the arcade. Now you're lying to me?"

"What happened to John Doe? Did somebody take him" Mary Margaret jumped in before Henry could respond.

"We don't know yet. His IV's were ripped out but there's no sign of a struggle." Graham responded.

"What did you do?" Henry said accusingly towards Regina.

Regina furrowed her eyebrows. "You think I had something to do with this?"

"It is curious that the mayor is here." Emma added causing Regina to look at her with an annoyed look on her face. "I'm here because I am his emergency contact."

"You know him?" Snow asked sounding a little jealous.

"I found him." Regina corrected. "On the side of the road years ago with no ID. I brought him here."

"Mayor Mills saved his life." Dr. Whale added to the conversation as he stood next to Regina.

"Will he be okay?" Mary Margaret asked eagerly.

"Okay? The man's been on feeding tubes for years under constant supervision. He needs to get back here right away or 'okay' quite honestly might be a pipe dream." Dr. Whale responded.

Emma unfolded her arms. "Okay then, let's start looking."

"That's what we're doing." Regina responded placing her hands on her hips clearly annoyed that the blonde was interfering. "Just stay out of this, dear. And since I clearly can't keep you away from my son," She grabbed Henry's hand and began walking him out. "I guess I'm just going to have to keep my son away from you." She stopped right in front of Emma and eyed her up and down. "Enjoy my shirt, because that's all you're getting."

She turned back to Graham. "Sherriff, find John Doe, you heard Dr. Whale time is precious." She then walked away with Henry.

"Dr. how long between your rounds since you last saw him?" Graham then asked.

"About 12 hours or so."

"Then that's what we need to account for." Graham said to Emma and Snow.

"Paging Dr. Whale. You are needed in room 247." A woman announced over the loud speaker.

"That's odd." He said when he heard the announcement. "Another coma patient. Let me know if you need anything else." He then made his way to Ally's room.

Regina was walking through the hospital halls when she heard the announcement. She knew that room was Allison's and a wave of worry washed over her. "Henry, we have to make a little stop real quick."

* * *

Ally opened her eyes, taking in the sights around her. She doesn't remember a whole lot of details but she knows this was not the place she fell asleep at.

"I'm so happy you're finally awake!" A woman said leaning over her bedside.

Ally thought she looked familiar but she couldn't place her. "Who are you? What's going on?" She asked a little scared of what was happening. "Ow." She held her head when she started moving too quickly.

"I'm your mother, Rose. You hit your head after falling from carbon monoxide poisoning and you've been in a coma for a very long time." Diane replied.

Ally looked at her confused. _Why did she just call me Rose? Wait, what is my name? _

"Rose is my name?" She asked.

Diane nodded. "The doctors said you probably would have amnesia. I'll be right back; I'm going to see what's keeping Dr. Whale."

As soon as her 'mother' walked out of the room, she propped herself up in the hospital bed. Everything looked familiar but foreign at the same time. She got out of the bed and walked to the window. She looked out, seeing a small town. _It looks like a nice town. I definitely need answers though. I hate this feeling of being kept in the dark._

Her mother came back in with the doctor. "What are you doing out of bed, Rose? You just woke up." Diane asked shocked to see her daughter moving around so soon.

Rose hurried back to her bed as best she could. "Sorry. I just thought looking around would help me remember things."

"And did it?" Dr. Whale asked trying to figure out what's going on inside her head.

She shook her head. "Not really."

"That's normal considering the type of injury you had." Dr. Whale replied looking over her chart. "We would like to keep you for a few more days to make sure everything is running smoothly. I'll be back shortly so we can run some tests."

Ally just stared blankly at him before he left. She watched him walk through the door and into a brunette woman wearing a business like dress and a little boy next to her. They talked briefly before they both came into the room. "Hi, Rose how are you feeling?" The brunette asked smiling at her.

Rose looked at her mother to explain who they were. "This is Mayor Mills and her son Henry."

_Henry. Henry. Why does that name sound familiar?_

"She was the one who found you in the school library. She was looking for Ms. Blanchard at the time but found you lying on the floor form carbon monoxide poisoning." Ally nodded. _So that's what happened to me. _

"I don't remember the exact details though, do you Mayor Mills?" Diane asked trying to think of the events of that day.

"I just remember it being very chaotic." Regina replied.

"Well thank you for finding me Mayor Mills." Ally whispered, her voice sounding a little raspy after not talking for so long,

"I'm just glad I found you in time." Regina said with a smile.

"Me too." Rose said weakly. She couldn't stop staring at the Mayor. She felt like she was close to this woman but she felt distant at the same time and she couldn't understand why.

"I have to run to the ladies room, would you mind staying with her until I get back, Mayor Mills? I don't want to leave her alone." Diane asked hopefully.

"Oh no. Take your time." Regina said waving her off. Diane nodded and left.

"Did Dr. Whale say how long you will have to stay here?" Regina asked hoping to strike up some kind of conversation with her Allison. It's been 28 years since she last talked to her and wanted to hear her voice since she forgot what it sounded like over the many long years.

Rose shook her head. "No he really hasn't told me anything...nobody has." She put her head down because she hated feeling so confused and without answers.

"I'm sure they'll tell you things soon, dear. Don't worry." Regina reassured her.

"Do_ you_ know anything?" Rose asked hopefully looking up to the mayor.

"No, I'm sorry." Regina gave her a weak smile.

Dr. Whale walked back in with his clipboard. "Rose, I'm going to give you a shot right now. This should help with that headache you have and I need you to drink this."

"No, I don't want one. I don't want any of that stuff." Rose said moving further the opposite side of the bed. She didn't know these people and she didn't really trust them. She wanted Diane back. _What's taking her so long? _She was her mother and she just wanted answers.

He began preparing the needle. "Don't be scared, it's just a little pinch."

"Would it help if I held your hand, dear?" Regina asked seeing how scared she was and wanting to comfort her.

Henry was eyeing his mother suspiciously. _Why is she being so nice to this girl? She's never met her before. What is she to her? I'm going to have to re-read my book to search for this mystery girl._

Rose wasn't sure about this woman but Diane seemed to trust her and she didn't want to get the shot by herself so she nodded. Regina smiled and grabbed her hand making Rose wince as soon as she did. "Did I hurt you?" Regina asked noticing the girl's face.

Rose looked into the mayor's eyes, searching for recognition. "No, just a little scared."

"You're gonna be fine, just look at me." Regina instructed and started talking to her while Dr. Whale gave her the shot. She scrunched her face and squeezed Regina's hand a little harder. "See, it wasn't that bad."

"Thanks." Rose felt a little embarrassed that she was scared.

Dr. Whale bent down and picked something up. "Here Rose. You seemed to have dropped your Teddy Bear on the floor." He handed it to her and as soon as he did Regina's eyes grew wide. It was the bear her father had given Ally back in the Enchanted Forest.

When Rose took the bear from Dr. Whale, she winced. Things were going on inside her head that she couldn't understand.

"We should let her rest, Regina." Dr. Whale said urging them out of the room.

_Regina. That name sounded familiar too. What the hell is going on?_

Regina nodded. She didn't want to leave her but she knew she had to and she had Henry to take care of now. "Get some rest, dear. We want you to get better as soon as possible." She patted the young girls hand before leaving.

Rose didn't know why but when Regina touched her she felt like that's happened before. When Regina grabbed her hand, images flashed across her mind. She saw the mayor wearing fancy dresses, elegant hairstyles all while walking around a dark castle. They didn't make sense to her. It happened again when she grabbed the teddy bear but this time she saw an old man with grey hair. He was in the same castle as the mayor was. She saw him reading a book, playing games such as chess and cards.

She shook her head trying to get the images to go away. Everything was confusing her and she just wanted answers. Nothing made sense. She noticed the mayor's kid was staring at her funny and she didn't know why. She assumed she looked horrible after spending so much time in the hospital but she didn't think the mayor would raise her kid to be rude.

She watched Regina grab Henry's hand as she walked out of the room. It kinda felt like déjà vu. She remembered that was her once, holding the mayor's hand but she didn't understand how that could be. She sighed and laid her head back down on the pillow. _Hopefully things start making sense soon._

* * *

A few days later, Rose was released from the hospital. She still had no clue what was going on inside her head. Everything was a mystery to her so Diane took her around town to try to re-jog her memory before her carbon monoxide poisoning but nothing seemed to be helping.

Diane spent a week home with Rose, caring for her every need but she couldn't take off from work anymore. "Don't forget your lunch, it's on the counter." Diane reminded her as she was grabbing her car keys.

"Got it mom, thanks." She had found out Diane was her adopted mom and she couldn't remember their relationship before she landed in the hospital but she felt like she was close to this woman.

"Oh and remember you have a meeting with the softball coach after school to see if you can try out for the team." Diane added.

"You're gonna be late for work..." Rose said in a sing song voice before shoveling a spoonful of fruit loops into her mouth.

Diane kissed her head. "Be good. Don't get into trouble and make sure you're not late for school. I know you're a little nervous it being your first day back in a while but you'll be fine."

Rose nodded and continued eating her cereal. "Bye honey, see ya later." Diane called as she exited the house.

Rose rested her head on the counter. _This is going to be one hell of a day._

* * *

Rose arrived to school fairly early. She wanted to find her classes and see if she recognized anyone at school. It took her 15 minutes to find her locker. She was busy going through it when a blonde girl came up to her. "Hey, how ya feeling?"

Rose looked at her confused. "I'm good, but I don't really remember you." She knew she had seen this person somewhere but she couldn't place her, she was hoping her name would ring a bell.

"I'm your best friend, Ava! How could you forget me?" She asked in disbelief.

"The accident made me forget a whole bunch of stuff, sorry." Rose apologized.

"Your mom didn't tell me you had like amnesia when I came to visit you in the hospital." Ava said picking up a book Rose had dropped.

"They didn't know yet..."

"We'll, no worries. I'll help you remember things. Come on." She grabbed her hand and Rose quickly closed her locker before she was being dragged away by Ava. "We have to get to algebra."

The entire time Ava held her hand, she was having flashes of images that seemed so real to her. They, along with a boy, were in the woods, villages, running. It happened so quick Rose had to break free from Ava so they would stop. She felt dizzy and fell to the floor.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Ava asked sitting on the ground next to her friend as Rose was holding her head.

"Ugh, yea I just got a little dizzy that's all." She said as an excuse. She didn't want to tell her about her visions; she didn't know what else to call them. Were they memories? She didn't know. But they happened every time she touched someone.

"Maybe you should go to the nurse..."Ava suggested as she helped Rose stand up.

"No, I'll be fine. Let's just get to class..." She began walking down the hall when Ava called her. "Rose...algebra class is this way..."

Rose gave her a weak smile. "Right...I totally knew that."

They began walking down the hall together. "So how long have we been friends?"

"Ever since we were little…I think." Ava answered sounding a little unsure herself. "Well it's been a long time."

Rose nodded wondering how Ava couldn't remember. They walked into algebra class and everyone began crowding around her as soon as they entered. They were all shouting things at once and she couldn't understand anything anyone was saying. "What's going on?" She said to Ava.

"They're happy to have you back!" Ava said cheerfully.

"Why?" Rose looked around at everyone confused.

"Because everyone loves you! You're like the most popular girl in school." Ava explained.

Rose was in complete shock when Ava had told her that. She wasn't expecting to be welcomed back to school like this. The teacher stood in the doorway and clapped her hands loudly, making the kids scurry to their seats. Rose just stood there not knowing what to do or where to go.

Ava pointed Rose to her seat in the middle of the room. "Hey Nicholas." She said to the boy sitting next to Rose. Rose recognized him as the boy she saw in her visions when she held Ava's hand.

"Hey Ava!" He said then turned to Rose. "It's awesome that your back. We all missed you."

Rose smiled. "Thanks."

"Class." The teacher said gaining their attention. "I would like to welcome back Miss Rose Duncan. Now she's missed many days of school so it would be greatly appreciated if you all could help her out."

Rose leaned over to Nicholas. "What's the teacher's name? She looks familiar."

"Ms. Blanchard. She usually teaches the younger kids but they gave her this algebra class because they were short on teachers." Rose just nodded.

She stared at the teacher the entire class period, trying to place her but nothing was coming to mind. She assumed it was because she was her teacher and she's seen her before.

The bell had rung and everyone got up to move to their next class. "Rose, can I see you for a moment." Ms. Blanchard called her over before she could leave.

"Do you think you'll be able to catch up to the rest of the class?" Ms. Blanchard asked concerned. "Algebra can be quite difficult if you're jumping into it in the middle so I was wondering if you wanted some extra tutoring?"

Rose thought about it for a moment. _Well I was confused the entire time. _"Yea, that would be great. I'm kinda lost."

Ms. Blanchard smiled. "That's quite alright. When is a good time for you?"

"I don't really know my schedule so I couldn't say. Could I let you know tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

Ms. Blanchard stood up. "Of course. If you need my help with anything just know I'm here."

"Thanks, Ms. Blanchard." She turned to leave but tripped on her shoelace and dropped her books.

Ms. Blanchard went to help pick up her books. They reached for the same book and her hand covered Roses'. Rose winced and saw images of her teacher with long hair, standing in the forest with a guy by her side. "Are you okay?" Her teacher asked when she saw her wince.

"Oh, yea…I just get a slight pain every now and then. It's no big deal." She said picking up her book as fast as she could so she could get out of there. "Thank again, Ms. Blanchard. I'll see ya later." She ran out of the room as quick as she could.

She didn't know where her next class was and frankly she didn't care. She just wanted to be alone. She found the girls bathroom and ran into one of the stalls. She was having a panic attack. She's been having them ever since she left the hospital but she didn't dare tell Diane. The last thing she wanted was to go back into the hospital.

She tried calming herself down, taking deep breaths. She couldn't believe all these visions or whatever they were, were happening to her. It got to the point where she didn't even want to touch Diane because the visions were too intense. The longer she held on to a person the more powerful the visions were.

She heard someone come into the bathroom. "Rose? Are you in here?"

"Ava?" She questioned making sure it was her friend and not someone else.

"Yea, you didn't come to English. Is everything okay?" Ava replied with a hint of worry in her voice.

Rose unlocked the door and came out of the stall. "Oh, I stayed after to talk to Ms. Blanchard and then I had to go to the bathroom but I didn't know where to go."

"Come on, I'll take ya back. If you have any questions, just ask me." She smiled. "I'm here to help."

She smiled back, thankful that she had someone to fill in the gaps for her. "Thanks, Ava. I really appreciate it."

* * *

She had tried out for softball and to her surprise she made the team. She missed running around and playing the game. Softball and tutoring with Ms. Blanchard kept her busy. Diane was rarely home whenever she was; she was always working trying to pay back Rose's hospital bills so Rose was pretty much on her own every night.

She decided she wanted to help Diane out since it was her hospital bills so she rode her bike to Granny's hoping she could get a job. "Hey Ruby, is Granny around?" She started to get to know people's names as she spent a lot of her time at Granny's.

"Hey Rosie." Ruby greeted her with a cheerful smile. "She's in the back. I'll go get her."

She waited for Ruby to come back from with Granny when she saw Ms. Blanchard come through the door. She was about to say hi when she saw her go over to a guy and sit in the booth with him. Mary Margaret made eye contact with her and Rose just smirked and turned around when she heard Granny.

"What's up, Rosie? Ruby said you wanted to talk to me?" Granny asked drying her hands on a dish rag.

"I was wondering if I could get a job here, like busting tables or cleaning dishes. Diane is working three jobs trying to pay back my hospital bills and I feel really bad. I wanna help her out." She said explaining her situation.

Granny felt sorry for the girl. "The best I could give you would be weekends and maybe one week night."

Rose couldn't stop smiling. "That would be great! Thank you so much! I truly appreciate it."

"No problem. You start tomorrow at 2pm." Granny told her. Rose thanked her again before heading towards the door.

Ms. Blanchard stopped her before she left. "Rose, the man you saw me with…it's not what you think."

Rose giggled. "Ms. Blanchard, it's okay if you're dating him. You don't have to hide it."

Ms. Blanchard smiled. "Could you just keep this to yourself?"

"Sure but if you want to keep your relationship a secret I think you two should meet somewhere where half of Storybrooke doesn't go to eat. " Rose advised giving her a soft smile.

Mary Margaret nodded. "Thanks Rose. I'll see you Monday in class."

* * *

Rose was busy working the next night. She didn't tell Diane about her new job because she knew Diane would make her quit. She doesn't think Rose could handle a job while playing softball and keeping up with her schoolwork but she wanted to prove her wrong.

She liked working with Ruby, they joked around a lot but only when Granny wasn't looking. Rose was having a pretty good first day at work. The customers were nice, her fellow employees loved her and she didn't mind busting tables or doing dishes…yet.

She was cleaning one of the tables off when the whole building began shaking. Everyone looked around at one another looking for an explanation.

"What was that?" Rose whispered to Ruby still a little uneasy about what just happened. Ruby shrugged her shoulders; she had no idea.

The whole diner was in a buzz talking about what just happened and what they thought it could have been. Leroy came into the diner and made an announcement. "That shake you felt, it was one of the old mines. It collapsed. There's a ton of people already heading down there."

A lot of people got up and left to see for themselves. Ruby and Rose looked at Granny. She knew what they wanted. "Clean up the rest of the tables then you can go."

They cleaned as quickly as they could to get down to the old mines. They saw that Leroy wasn't lying about the huge crowd already there.

"This is pretty cool." Rose said to Ruby never taking her eyes off the sight.

"Things like this don't usually happen." Ruby told her.

Rose heard a car door slam a little bit behind her. She turned to see the mayor getting out of her car. "Everyone, step back please!" The mayor screamed.

"So it wasn't a crater?" Ruby asked Marco who was standing next to Rose.

"No they were tunnels; old mines. Something collapsed." Marco replied.

Rose took a step forward only to be pulled back by both Marco and Ruby.

"People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed." Regina announced causing everyone to turn their attention towards the mayor. "We've always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels but fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it into city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it."

Rose thought it was a logical solution. She saw Henry, the mayor's kid make his way out of the crowd towards his mother. "Pave it? What if there's something down there?" She heard Henry say.

She saw Regina lean down to his level but she couldn't hear what they were saying. She pushed Henry back lightly. "Everyone step back." Everyone listened to the mayor and took a few steps back but Rose remained where she was. She was curious to see what was down there now that Henry mentioned it.

She saw Regina pick something up and put it in her pocket and thought it was pretty strange since she didn't drop anything before that. Henry seemed to notice too. Regina took Henry to the side and started yelling at him before sending him towards the car. _Maybe he knows something._

She made her way over to Henry who was sneaking out of his mother's car. "You like to sneak around, don't ya?"

Henry turned around and saw Rose. "Oh hi. Get down." He pulled her down behind Regina's car so no one would see them. He looked through his book the other day to see if this girl was in there but she wasn't so he had no idea who she was in the Enchanted Forest.

"So what do you think happened?" She asked tilting her head towards the huge collapse.

"I'm not totally sure but I don't think it was a simple mine collapse." He wasn't sure if this girl could be trusted with everything that was in his book.

"Then what do you think it was?" Rose asked resting her arms on her knees. "Do you think there's something down there?"

Henry smiled seeing she was thinking the exact same thing he was. "Actually I was but my mom said she's going to pave it. I think she's trying to hide something."

"What would she be hiding down there?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know but I want to find out." He motioned for Rose to follow him. He stood up slowly and called Archie over followed by Emma to crouch behind the police car.

"This requires all of Operation Cobra. Both of you." He looked from Archie to Emma.

"I didn't realize I was in Operation Cobra." Archie said with a hint of shock.

"Of course you are. You know everything." Henry told him.

"I didn't realize you recruited others as well." Emma said nodding towards Rose.

"She's new." He waved her off. "Emma meet Rose. Rose, Emma." They nodded at each other.

"We can't let her do this. What if there's something down there?" Henry whispered.

"It's just a bunch of old tunnels." Emma responded not really thinking there was anything else down there.

"That just happened to collapse right after you get here? You're changing things. You're weakening the curse."

"Curse? What curse?" Rose questioned. This boy was confusing the hell out of her and she was already confused to begin with. She couldn't get herself wrapped up in more mysteries than the one she already found herself in.

"I thought you said she was new to Operation Cobra?" Archie asked.

"She is, I just haven't told her anything yet." He smiled at Rose who was still confused.

Emma looked at Archie then back at Henry. "That's not what's happening, kid."

"Yes, it is." Henry insisted. "Did you do anything different today? Something made this happen."

"Henry." Regina called from behind them making them all turn around. "I told you to wait in the car." She sounded annoyed as she sent him back to her car.

Archie began walking away. "Deputy, do your job." Regina basically scolded Emma who didn't have anything to say back so she turned and did as she was told.

"Dr. Hopper, a word please." Regina called when Emma left. He turned back to face her.

_Oh he's gonna get yelled at._ She decided to stay and eavesdrop since the mayor didn't notice her.

"Okay, we're done with this." Regina said firmly.

He looked confused. "Ugh, excuse me?"

"My son." Regina said annoyed. "We need a new treatment plan."

_Treatment plan? I'm guessing the kid is seeing Dr. Hopper and that's how he's knows everything about Operation Cobra-whatever that is._

Regina continued her rant. "Everything I do he thinks is part of some horrible plot. I can't cover up a safety hazard without him thinking I'm hiding something." Her voice began to rise as her anger grew more and more. "How am I hiding something terrible in an old mine? How is any of this logical to him?"

"He has an amazing imagination." He answered calmly but Regina was anything but calm. "Yes, that you let run ramped."

"Well I think it would be wrong to rip away this world he's constructed. I'd rather us it to get him…"

Regina cut him off. "Sometimes I think you've forgotten. You work for me. You're an employee and I can fire you."

Rose couldn't believe how mean the mayor was being to Dr. Hopper. _He didn't do anything. _But as the mayor continued yelling at him, it became somewhat familiar to her. She felt like she's heard the mayor yell like that before. _No, that can't be. I've only had like three encounters with this woman._

"This is my town. You will lose your office, lose your house. I can cut you down to size until you're a tiny shrunken little creature and this" Regina said holding up his umbrella. "Will be the only roof over your damn head."

"What would you have me do?" He asked not seeing another choice other than to follow what the mayor wanted.

Regina gave a victory smirk. "You take that delusion out of my son's head and you _crush_ it."

Archie nodded in defeat and walked away. Rose knew she had better get back to Ruby not wanting to get yelled at by the mayor like the other two did.

"Rose." She heard Regina call her name. _Damn._

"Yes, Mayor Mills?" She asked keeping her voice soft.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked with her hands on her hips.

"Oh I was just checking out the collapse like the rest of the town." She said pointing towards the mines.

"Well this is no place for children. It's a safety hazard." Regina scolded. "Where is your mother?" She began looking around for any sign of her.

"Diane is working. I came here after work." She told her.

"Then get in the car. I'll take you home." Regina pointed to her car with Henry already inside.

Rose shook her head. "Oh no, you don't have to do that Mayor Mills. I'll just catch a ride with Ruby."

"Nonsense. Go get in the car and I'll tell Ruby I'm bringing you home." She instructed. Rose knew here was no arguing with the mayor. Regina put her hand on her back to push her towards her car but she saw her wince in pain. Another wave of visions flashed across her mind.

She saw the mayor again in the castle wearing one of those fancy dresses but this time she saw herself too. She was in a dress then resembled something from medieval times. Her and the mayor were fighting, screaming at each other.

Rose stopped and held her head. "Is everything alright, dear?" Regina asked leaning down slightly to see Rose's face.

"Yea, I just got a little dizzy." She gave Regina a weak smile but Regina knew her better than Rose thought she did. "You don't look okay, dear. You're white as a ghost."

"I'll be fine." Rose waved her off. "I'm just gonna go sit in the car."

Regina nodded and watched her walk towards her car making sure she didn't faint or anything. She was truly happy she woke up and was living a normal life; she just wished it was with her.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked when Rose approached the car.

"You're mom insisted on giving me a ride home." She told him.

"Oh, well sit in the front." He crawled to the back seat.

"Henry you didn't have to do that." She told him as she opened the car door and sat down.

"It's okay, you're getting out first. So what do you think is down there?" He asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders as she was turned in her seat to face him. "Dunno. I was hoping you could enlighten me about this 'Operation Cobra' thing and you mentioned something about a curse?"

"Oh, right. So everyone in this town is a fairytale character and…"

She put her hand up to stop him. "Wait, you mean like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood?"

"Yea, so anyway the Evil Queen, that's my mom, cast a curse on everyone in the Enchanted Forest to take away all their happy endings." He explained.

"Henry, your mom might be a little strict but to call her an Evil Queen is a little extreme, don't ya think?"

"No, she really is the Evil Queen from Snow White. You have to believe me. She's…" He had to stop because he saw Regina coming towards the car. "Look, I'll explain everything tomorrow, after school."

"I can't. I have a tutoring session with Ms. Blanchard than I have softball." She told him.

"What about during lunch?" He asked quickly. She nodded and turned around just as Regina got into the car.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Regina asked as soon as she got into the car. She looked the young girl up and down to look for any sign of illness.

She smiled at her concern. "I'm fine, Mayor Mills. Just needed to sit down is all."

"Good." She turned the engine on the start the car. "I don't want you two out here again, do I make myself clear?" She said firmly.

"Yes." Henry said from the back seat. She saw Rose nod so she began driving.

"It's far too dangerous for kids to be playing around. I don't want anyone getting hurt." Regina continued her little rant the entire way to Rose's house.

"Thanks for the ride Mayor Mills." Rose said when she pulled up outside her house.

Regina smiled. "You're welcome, Rose and you better not be at the mines again. The last thing I need is for you or another person to get hurt."

Rose nodded. "I won't, Mayor Mills. Thanks again." Regina watched her go into the house before driving away.

"How do you know her?" She heard Henry ask from the backseat. "You seem close to her."

"You heard Henry. I found her in the school library and took her to the hospital. I visited every day, seeing if there was any improvement. It's something I felt like I had to do as mayor and as a person." She replied looking in her rearview mirror occasionally to see Henry's face.

He crossed his arms. "Whatever." He mumbled. He knew she was lying and couldn't wait to talk to Rose tomorrow and get her to believe. He was hoping he could get her to help make Emma believe and break the curse.

**Since the last few chapters have been kinda short, I felt like this needed to be longer because you all are amazing! So let me know what you guys think. I love your reviews. **

**Guest Review: Ally was originally from 2013. Regina didn't have a clue what year she was from or anything about this world really. She also didn't know Ally basically time traveled. They ended up in 1983 because that's when the whole town was created. Ally didn't get sent back to her time period because the curse also affected her basically the same way it did the other people. Hope this helps.**


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